Palonosetron hydrochloride for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in hepatocellular carcinoma treated with TACE

Objective To observe the efficacy of Palonosetron hydrochloride injection for preventing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in hepatocellular carcinoma treated with TACE(transcatheter arterial chemoembolization).Methods 48 patients with hepatocellular carcinoma who underwent TACE were randomly divided into two groups: observation group and control group.Palonosetron hydrochloride was given to the observation group intravenously in a dose of 0.25 mg 30 min before TACE while Granisetron hydrochloride to the control group in a dose of 6 mg.The symptoms of nausea and vomiting and adverse reaction were compared in both groups on day 1,3 after TACE.Results The total effective rate for nausea was 95.83% and 87.50% in the observation group and control group respectively on day 1 after TACE,while the total effective rate for vomiting was 100.00% and 87.50% respectively.Significant difference was found in the two groups(both P0.05).The total effectiveness rate for nausea was 91.67% and 54.16% in the observation group and control group respectively on day 3 after TACE,while the total effectiveness rate for vomiting was 83.33% and 50.00% respectively.There was significant difference between the two groups(both P0.05).The incidence of adverse reaction was 4.16% in both groups,which showed no significant difference(P0.05).Conclusions Palonosetron hydrochloride is an efficient antiemetic for hepatocellular carcinoma treated with TACE.The long lasting action makes it more effective for late onset vomiting.