The study determined the effectiveness and safety of a treatment regimen comprising Dexamethasone, 5-HT3 receptor antagonists, and Aprepitant in tackling chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) among cancer patients.

Researchers performed a comprehensive meta-analysis, gathering data from various databases such as VIP, Wanfang, PubMed, Cochrane Library, MEDLINE, CENTRAL, HEED, Embase, and CNKI. They identified randomized controlled trials (RCTs) focusing on triple therapy (Dexamethasone, 5-HT3 receptor antagonist, Aprepitant) for CINV prevention and treatment. Meta-analysis techniques were utilized, employing both fixed-effect and random-effect models to address statistical heterogeneity.

This study comprised 23 RCTs encompassing 7956 participants. It demonstrated significant improvements in complete response rates for CINV in the group receiving triple therapy compared to the control group, across overall, acute, and delayed phases. Moreover, the triple therapy group exhibited notable relief from nausea symptoms in the delayed and overall phases, although not in the acute phase.

Regarding safety, there were no profound differences in the occurrence of headache, anorexia, diarrhea, and febrile neutropenia between the arms. However, the triple therapy group reported higher incidences of fatigue and hiccups, albeit with a lower incidence of constipation compared to the control group.

The combination of Aprepitant, Dexamethasone, and 5-HT3 receptor antagonists remarkably improved complete response rates for chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in cancer patients, with notable efficacy in both acute and delayed phases.