COMPARISON OF GRANISETRON ALONE AND GRANISETRON PLUS HYDROXYZINE HYDROCHLORIDE FOR PROPHYLACTIC TREATMENT OF EMESIS INDUCED BY CISPLATIN CHEMOTHERAPY

The efficacy and safety of granisetron alone (group G) and granisetron plus hydroxyzine hydrochloride (group G/H) as prophylactic therapy fo r acute and delayed nausea and vomiting were evaluated in an open tria l in head and neck cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy with cispla tin. The severity of nausea was significantly reduced on days 1 and 4 in patients receiving combination therapy, but the frequency of vomiti ng was not significantly different between the two groups. The only si de-effect observed was headache in 1 patient from group G, and no drug -related laboratory test abnormalities were observed. These results su ggest that the anti-emetic efficacy of granisetron can be augmented by hydroxyzine hydrochloride.