Oral ondansetron: an effective ambulatory complement to intravenous ondansetron in the control of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in children.

One hundred children with non-central nervous system malignancies received ondansetron at initiation of chemotherapy and every 8 hours for 5 days after cisplatin-containing therapy and for 3 days after other chemotherapy. Ondansetron was administered orally except with the intravenous chemotherapy. For the chemotherapy days, 72 of 93 children (76%) had complete or major control of vomiting on their worst day, 25% with cisplatin-containing protocols, 60% with ifosfamide-containing protocols, and 82% with other protocols. For the overall period, 71 of 93 children (76%) reported complete or major control of vomiting on the worst day, 14% with cisplatin, 60% with ifosfamide, and 83% with other chemotherapy. All had mild or no nausea. Of the 355 chemotherapy days, 228 children (64%) were emesis free, 40% with cisplatin, 60% with ifosfamide, and 68% with other regimens. Of the overall period (541 days), 393 days were emesis free, 45% with cisplatin, 71% with ifosfamide, and 86% with other regimes. Sixty-nine patients were not hospitalized, and oral ondansetron was given when chemotherapy was completed. Of the 241 ambulatory chemotherapy days, 178 (74%) were emesis free. No significant toxicity was encountered. Oral ondansetron reduced hospitalization without reducing antiemetic efficiency in children.