• Sophie Morin, Irina Leurs, Marie-Noëlle Bousquet, and Florian Scotté.
• Hôpital européen Georges-Pompidou, unité d'hospitalisation en soins de support en oncologie, 20, rue Leblanc, 75908 Paris cedex 15, France. Electronic address: sophie.morin@aphp.fr.
• Bull Cancer. 2016 May 1; 103 (5): 469-77.

IntroductionDespite progress in the treatment of chemotherapy/radiotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV/RINV), their management remains insufficient.MethodsIn order to evaluate the incidence and impact of CINV/RINV on the quality of life perceived by patients and estimated by clinicians, a declarative, cross-sectional survey was conducted in France through an online questionnaire.ResultsThis survey included 187 participants: 75 oncologists, 35 oncology nurses and 77 patients. Clinicians over-estimated the incidence of CINV/RINV, but underestimated their impact on the quality of life of patients. The sub-optimal prescription of anti-emetic treatments was more prominent when the therapy administered had low or medium emetogenic potential. Only 30% of patients rated their nausea and vomiting as controlled from the start. A major proportion of patients (68%) declared poor compliance with their anti-emetic regimen. The acceptance of CINV/RINV as normal side effects of the chemotherapy/radiotherapy (51%) led the patients not to report them, thus limiting their active management. The number of drugs to absorb, and the fear that the action of swallowing the pill would induce nausea or vomiting were also quoted by the patients as compliance-limiting factors.ConclusionThe perceptual gap between clinicians and patients regarding the incidence and impact of CINV/RINV contributes to a sub-optimal level of anti-emetic cover and control. The anti-emetic regimen needs to be regularly assessed and adapted to the patient in order to improve CINV/RINV management.Copyright © 2016 Société Française du Cancer. Published by Elsevier Masson SAS. All rights reserved.

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