Preparation of Data Sheets Consolidating Information on Adverse Reactions due to Combination Chemotherapy

—Evaluation of Data Sheets Consolidating Adverse Reaction Information in Patients Receiving Combination of Anti-tumor Drugs, Interferon and Radiation Therapy—

Abstract

We prepared data sheets to consolidate information on adverse reactions occurring in combination chemotherapy. Using them, we monitored adverse reactions due to combination therapy consisting of vincristine, nimustine, carboplatin, interferon-β and radiation therapy (VAC-F-R) in 50 patients with brain tumors, and evaluated their severity using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events v.3.0. The incidences of adverse reactions due to the VAC-F-R protocol were then compared with that for adverse reactions due to existing monotherapy. With VAC-F-R, a high incidences were observed for appetite loss (86%), nausea (68%) and vomiting (34%), and the incidences of leucopenia and thrombocytopenia with grade 3 or higher were 60% and 24%, respectively. Vomiting and fever could be prevented by pretreatment with a 5-HT₃ receptor antagonist and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. While the incidences of the unpreventable adverse reactions were 1.5-to 5-fold greater than those seen with monotherapy, there was no difference in the time of the nadir for leucopenia and thrombocytopenia as compared to monotherapy with nimusitine.
Our efforts to consolidate information on adverse reactions due to a particular chemotherapy regimen have helped decrease their severity in cancer patients and improve their quality of life.