Nausea, vomiting and quality of life in women with breast cancer receiving chemotherapy

• Published in: Revista gaúcha de enfermagem Vol. 34; no. 3; p. 110
• Main Authors: Gozzo, Thais de Oliveira, Moysés, Aline Maria Bonini, da Silva, Pamina Roberta, de Almeida, Ana Maria
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: Portuguese
• Published: Brazil 01.09.2013
• Subjects: Adult; Aged; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized - administration & dosage; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - administration & dosage; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - adverse effects; Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols - therapeutic use; Breast Neoplasms - drug therapy; Breast Neoplasms - nursing; Breast Neoplasms - psychology; Cyclophosphamide - administration & dosage; Cyclophosphamide - adverse effects; Epirubicin - administration & dosage; Epirubicin - adverse effects; Female; Fluorouracil - administration & dosage; Fluorouracil - adverse effects; Humans; Middle Aged; Nausea - chemically induced; Nausea - nursing; Nausea - psychology; Prospective Studies; Quality of Life; Severity of Illness Index; Socioeconomic Factors; Surveys and Questionnaires; Taxoids - administration & dosage; Trastuzumab; Vomiting - chemically induced; Vomiting - nursing; Vomiting - psychology
• ISSN: 0102-6933

The aim of this study was to assess the quality of life (QoL) of women with breast cancer during chemotherapy and to identify the incidence of nausea and vomiting during the treatment Data were assessed with the application of the instrument of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer, EORTC-QLQ-C30 Portuguese version and breast cancer module BR-23, which was applied before, in the middle and in the end of the treatment. The participants were 79 women, of which 93% had nausea and 87% had vomited at least once during the treatment. QoL showed a slight decrease during treatment. Cronbach's alpha for each application of the questionnaires was 0.890492, 0.936392 and 0.937639. The availability of treatment information and guidelines on the management of nausea and vomiting is crucial for the proper management of the toxicities of chemotherapy.