Study objectives: To compare the antiemetic effectiveness and safety of oral granisetron plus dexamethasone with those of oral ondansetron plus dexamethasone administered before emetogenic chemotherapy.
Design: Randomized, prospective, multicenter, open-label study.
Settings: University-teaching hospital and veterans health care system.
Patients: Sixty-one chemotherapy-naïve patients scheduled to receive emetogenic antineoplastic agents.
Intervention: A single-dose oral granisetron 1 mg and dexamethasone 12 mg or single-dose oral ondansetron 16 mg and dexamethasone 12 mg was administered before chemotherapy.
Measurements and results: Twenty-four hours after administration patients were contacted to assess nausea, emesis, and adverse events. There were no statistical differences in frequency of nausea or emesis between groups. Seventy-six percent and 82% of patients receiving ondansetron and granisetron, respectively, experienced no emesis 24 hours after chemotherapy. Complete protection from nausea occurred in 58% and 46% of patients receiving the drugs, respectively. Adverse events were similar between groups.
Conclusion: Oral granisetron 1 mg and ondansetron 16 mg plus dexamethasone are safe and effective in preventing nausea and vomiting related to emetogenic chemotherapy.