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Updated: Aug 6, 2026
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Acupoint Application Combined with Acupressure as an Adjunctive Therapy for Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting
Published on: June 21, 2024
Distress before chemotherapy predicts delayed but not acute nausea
Sara C Higgins1, Guy H Montgomery, Dana H Bovbjerg
1Biobehavioral Medicine Program, Department of Oncological Sciences, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA. sara.higgins@mssm.edu
Summary
Pretreatment psychological distress, not expectations, significantly predicted delayed posttreatment nausea in breast cancer patients. This suggests psychological interventions may help manage nausea resistant to antiemetic drugs.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Psychology
- Symptom Management
Background:
- Posttreatment nausea (PTN) is a frequent side effect of chemotherapy.
- Previous studies indicated psychological factors may influence PTN severity.
Purpose of the Study:
- To prospectively examine the relationship between pretreatment psychological factors and PTN.
- To differentiate effects on acute versus delayed nausea phases.
Main Methods:
- Prospective study of 56 chemotherapy-naive women with breast cancer.
- Assessed distress and nausea expectations pre-infusion.
- Evaluated PTN using daily diaries for 5 days post-treatment (acute days 0-1, delayed days 2-5).
Main Results:
- Pretreatment distress significantly correlated with delayed PTN (p<0.007), but not acute PTN (p<0.19).
- No significant relationship found between expectations and PTN.
- An additive effect was observed: highest delayed PTN occurred in patients with both high distress and nausea expectations.
Conclusions:
- Psychological variables selectively impact the delayed phase of chemotherapy-induced nausea.
- Delayed nausea, potentially less responsive to antiemetics, might benefit from pre-treatment psychological interventions.
