Effective control of cisplatin-induced nausea using high-dose steroids and droperidol

Seventy-three consecutive patients receiving cisplatin-containing chemotherapy regimens were treated with an initial dose of chlorpromazine (25 mg im), droperidol (1 mg iv, then 1 mg sc every 4 hours), and methylprednisolone (250 mg every 4 hours for four doses). Twenty patients received a combination chemotherapy protocol that included cisplatin at a dose of 40 mg/m2 iv (group 1) and 53 patients received a protocol that included cisplatin at a dose of 120 mg/m2 iv (group 2). The median age of all the patients was 58 years. Seventy-five percent of the patients in group 1 and 45% of those in group 2 had no vomiting at all; the remainder had limited and tolerable vomiting. These results in a group of elderly patients compare favorably with trials of other antiemetic programs.