[Application of biofeedback relaxation techniques during chemotherapy]

Area of Science:

• Oncology
• Psychosomatic Medicine
• Complementary Therapies

Background:

• Chemotherapy often induces significant psychosomatic distress and physical reactions in cancer patients.
• Managing these adverse effects is crucial for maintaining patient quality of life during cancer treatment.

Purpose of the Study:

• To investigate the efficacy of biofeedback relaxation training in alleviating psychosomatic reactions and physical symptoms in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.

Main Methods:

• A case-control study involving 60 cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy.
• An experiment group (n=30) received biofeedback relaxation training, while a control group (n=30) did not.
• Patients were assessed using the Symptom Checklist-90 (SCL-90) and a questionnaire on physical reactions before and after the intervention.

Main Results:

• No significant differences in SCL-90 scores between groups prior to intervention.
• The experiment group showed significantly lower average SCL-90 scores post-intervention.
• The experiment group reported less severe physical reactions across 4 out of 6 assessed items after biofeedback training.

Conclusions:

• Biofeedback relaxation training is an effective intervention for reducing unhealthy psychosomatic reactions in cancer patients during chemotherapy.
• This non-invasive technique can help mitigate adverse physical and psychological effects associated with cancer treatment.
• Further research should explore long-term effects and applicability across different cancer types and treatment regimens.