2. Duration of Therapy

Nausea and vomiting are common side effects of cancer-chemotherapy and radiation therapy. Treatment is usually intermittent and dependent on the emetogenicity of the scheduled therapy.3,4 Patient profiles documenting the use of oral serotonin 5-HT₃ receptor antagonists without concurrent antineoplastic therapy will be reviewed. Patient profiles documenting the use of more than one transdermal granisetron (Sancuso®) patch per 7 days will be reviewed. The maximum duration for most cancer chemotherapy regimens is 30 days, although some chemotherapy protocols may last longer. Radiation therapy protocols for some patients may last for six to seven weeks. Unless otherwise specified, 5-HT₃ receptor antagonist treatment regimens continuing for greater than 49 days will be reviewed for appropriateness of use. Approximately one-third of surgical patients experience nausea and vomiting after receiving general anesthesia. A single dose of a serotonin 5-HT₃ receptor antagonist is usually administered one to two hours before the induction of anesthesia.