OBJECTIVES: The aim of this study was to identify influences of stress, anxiety, depression, and personality trait on nausea, vomiting, and retching of breast cancer patients perceiving chemotherapy. METHODS: Breast cancer patients who were admitted to Ewha Womans University Cancer Center for women to receive chemotherapy participated in the study. In addition to sociodemographic and clinical factors, self-reported questionnaires, including Type D personality Scale 14, Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale, and Global Assessment of Recent Stress scale were used to evaluate psychological factors of the subjects. For examination of anticipatory and post chemotherapy nausea, vomiting, and retching, the subjects filled out the Rhodes Index of Nausea, Vomiting, and Retching and Visual Analogue Scale. RESULTS: No significant influence of type D personality, anxiety, or depression on nausea, vomiting, and retching was observed. If the patient experienced more severe stress, higher scores for anticipatory and post chemotherapy nausea, vomiting, and retching were recorded. The tendency was retained after adjusting for the cycle number of chemotherapy, the emetic risk of the chemotherapy regimen, type D personality, anxiety, and depression. Specifically, financial problems, unusual happenings, ordinary daily stress, and general stress were significantly related to nausea, vomiting, and retching. CONCLUSION: Assessment of life stress, especially for financial problems, unusual happenings, and ordinary daily stress of patients receiving cancer chemotherapy can be used as an effective way to reduce the risk of nausea, vomiting, and retching related during chemotherapy.
Anxiety* ; Breast Neoplasms* ; Breast* ; Depression* ; Drug Therapy* ; Female ; Humans ; Nausea* ; Surveys and Questionnaires ; Stress, Psychological ; Vomiting* ; Vomiting, Anticipatory

Antineoplastic Agents ; adverse effects ; Drug Therapy, Combination ; Drugs, Chinese Herbal ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; Ondansetron ; therapeutic use ; Phytotherapy ; Vomiting, Anticipatory ; drug therapy

OBJECTIVEThe efficacies of the selective 5-hydroxytryptamine3 (5-HT3) antagonists--ramosetron (0.3 mg) and granisetron (3 mg) in treating acute chemotherapy-induced digestive system dysunction were compared.

METHODSA total of 111 patients were enrolled in a single-blind, randomised crossover study; with data from 98 were used to assess efficacy and data from 110 to assess the safety profile. Ramosetron or granisetron was given intraveneously 15 min befire chemotherpy.

RESULTSThe ability of ramosetron to prevent emesis, nausea and anorexia was similar to granisetron during the first 6 h following the administration of chemotherapy, ciplatin or doxorubicin. However, during the first 24 h after chemotherapy, significant differences between ramosetron and granisetron appeared: emetic episode (P = 0.068), nausea (P = 0.006), and anorexia (P = 0.048) remained lower in ramosetron-treated patients. The safety profile of ramosetron was similar to that of granisetron and adverse events in both groups were generally mild and transient.

CONCLUSIONRamosetron is more potent and longer-lasting than granisetron in preventing chemotherapy-induced digestive disturbances.

Adolescent ; Adult ; Aged ; Anorexia ; chemically induced ; drug therapy ; Antiemetics ; therapeutic use ; Antineoplastic Agents ; adverse effects ; Benzimidazoles ; therapeutic use ; Cisplatin ; adverse effects ; Cross-Over Studies ; Doxorubicin ; adverse effects ; Female ; Granisetron ; therapeutic use ; Humans ; Lung Neoplasms ; drug therapy ; Male ; Middle Aged ; Nausea ; chemically induced ; prevention & control ; Serotonin Antagonists ; therapeutic use ; Single-Blind Method ; Vomiting, Anticipatory ; etiology ; prevention & control