Expert: Glen Aukerman, M.D. - 4/4/2009

Question
I have read claims by integrative medicine advocates that visualization can be helpful in fighting cancer by visualizing the strengthening of the immune cells and the weakening of the cancer cells.  Obviously, visualization combined with standard anti-cancer treatments can do no harm, but is there any empirical research to suggest that visualization can actually be helpful as an anti-cancer approach?

Answer
You need to search the terms, cancer prevention, guided imagery. this is what I found;
Addict Behav. 2009 Feb;34(2):164-70. Epub 2008 Oct 11.Related Articles, Links   
Script-guided imagery of social drinking induces both alcohol and cigarette craving in a sample of nicotine-dependent smokers.

Erblich J, Montgomery GH, Bovbjerg DH.

Biobehavioral Medicine Program, Cancer Prevention and Control, Department of Oncological Sciences, Mount Sinai School of Medicine, New York, NY 10029-6574, USA. joel.erblich@mssm.edu

Laboratory exposure to alcoholic beverage cues has been demonstrated to elicit urges to drink. Less well examined is the possibility that imaginal cues also elicit such urges, providing a model of conditioned effects not dependent on the presence of physical stimuli associated with alcohol. Studies of possible cross-reactivity between smoking and drinking cues are also scarce. To that end, nicotine-dependent nonalcoholic smokers (n=54) were exposed to social drinking-relevant, and for comparison, neutral and smoking-relevant standardized script-guided imagery. Cravings were measured before and after each imaginal exposure. As hypothesized, the drinking script induced alcohol and cigarette cravings, providing support for both direct and cross-cue reactivity effects. Further validating the social-drinking script, craving reactions were significantly stronger among participants who reported frequent drinking in social situations. Finally, smoking imagery induced both cigarette and alcohol cravings, providing further support for the cross-cue-induced craving phenomenon. Results suggest that the present alcohol script may be a useful tool for eliciting craving responses under laboratory conditions, and provide an additional means for better understanding addiction.

Publication Types:
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

PMID: 18977604 [PubMed - in process]
PMCID: PMC2615382 [Available on 2010/02/01]


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2: Clin J Oncol Nurs. 2007 Oct;11(5):699-704.Related Articles, Links  
When medication is not enough: nonpharmacologic management of pain.

Gatlin CG, Schulmeister L.

Baton Rouge General in Louisiana, LA, USA. chris.gatlin@brgeneral.org

Patients with cancer commonly experience pain, which typically is controlled pharmacologically. Despite advances in pain management, pain continues to be undertreated. Nonpharmacologic measures may effectively manage pain but often are overlooked or underused. Nurses who are familiar with simple, noninvasive, nonpharmacologic measures, such as patient positioning, thermal measures, massage therapy, aromatherapy, and mind-body therapies, can identify and educate patients who may benefit from nonpharmacologic interventions.

Publication Types:
Review

PMID: 17962177 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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3: Can J Nurs Res. 2007 Mar;39(1):98-115.Related Articles, Links
Exploring women's psychoneuroendocrine responses to cancer threat: insights from a computer-based guided imagery task.

Ma Z, Faber A, Dubé L.

Desautels Faculty of Management, McGill University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada. zhenfeng.ma@uoit.ca

It is proposed that computers could be used to examine patients' subjective experience in the face of cancer threat. This study provides initial validation of a computer-based stress task by examining the psychological, autonomic, and endocrine aspects of an individual's subjective experience of cancer threat surrounding mammography screening. A repeated measures design was used. A total of 38 healthy women performed a stress task (pertaining to mammography) and a control task (pertaining to osteoporosis prevention) on separate days during which psychological, autonomic, and endocrine reactions were monitored. Compared with the control task, the stress task induced higher autonomic responses (skin conductance and heart rate variability) and endocrine responses (salivary cortisol) but not psychological distress. Further, both the autonomic (skin conductance) and endocrine responses to cancer threat were moderated by mastery, a trait known to have a stress-buffering effect. Yet such a moderating effect was not observed for psychological indices of stress--that is, mood. Implications for nursing research and interventions are discussed.

Publication Types:
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

PMID: 17450707 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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4: J Pediatr Oncol Nurs. 2007 Mar-Apr;24(2):81-94.Related Articles, Links   
A systematic review of nonpharmacologic adjunctive therapies for symptom management in children with cancer.

Rheingans JI.

College of Nursing, University of South Florida, Sarasota Memorial Hospital, Sarasota, FL 34239, USA. jennifer-rheingans@smh.com

Symptom management in pediatric oncology remains a problem. Despite remarkable pharmacologic and surgical advances, children continue to report symptoms as the most troublesome aspect of cancer treatment. However, there are additional therapies that are not considered standard symptom management, such as acupuncture and guided imagery. These nonpharmacologic adjunctive therapies are a potential source of assistance for children with unrelenting pain, nausea, or other unpleasant symptoms due to cancer treatment. This article summarizes research studies that have examined nonpharmacologic therapies for symptom management in pediatric oncology.

Publication Types:
Review

PMID: 17332422 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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5: Am J Psychiatry. 2006 Oct;163(10):1791-7.Related Articles, Links  
Reduction of cancer-specific thought intrusions and anxiety symptoms with a stress management intervention among women undergoing treatment for breast cancer.

Antoni MH, Wimberly SR, Lechner SC, Kazi A, Sifre T, Urcuyo KR, Phillips K, Smith RG, Petronis VM, Guellati S, Wells KA, Blomberg B, Carver CS.

Department of Psychology, 5665 Ponce DeLeon Blvd., University of Miami, Coral Gables, FL 33124-0751, USA. MAntoni@miami.edu

OBJECTIVE: After surgery for breast cancer, many women experience anxiety relating to the cancer that can adversely affect quality of life and emotional functioning during the year postsurgery. Symptoms such as intrusive thoughts may be ameliorated during this period with a structured, group-based cognitive behavior intervention. METHOD: A 10-week group cognitive behavior stress management intervention that included anxiety reduction (relaxation training), cognitive restructuring, and coping skills training was tested among 199 women newly treated for stage 0-III breast cancer. They were then followed for 1 year after recruitment. RESULTS: The intervention reduced reports of thought intrusion, interviewer ratings of anxiety, and emotional distress across 1 year significantly more than was seen with the control condition. The beneficial effects were maintained well past the completion of adjuvant therapy. CONCLUSIONS: Structured, group-based cognitive behavior stress management may ameliorate cancer-related anxiety during active medical treatment for breast cancer and for 1 year following treatment. Group-based cognitive behavior stress management is a clinically useful adjunct to offer to women treated for breast cancer.

Publication Types:
Comparative Study
Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, N.I.H., Extramural

PMID: 17012691 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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6: Dis Colon Rectum. 2005 Oct;48(10):1955-63.Related Articles, Links   
Guided imagery and relaxation in conventional colorectal resections: a randomized, controlled, partially blinded trial.

Haase O, Schwenk W, Hermann C, Müller JM.

Department of General, Visceral, Vascular and Thoracic Surgery, University Medicine Berlin, Berlin, Germany.

PURPOSE: The aim of this study was to investigate whether brief psychologic interventions to reduce perioperative stress may improve the postoperative course of patients undergoing abdominal surgery. METHODS: We used a randomized, controlled, partially blinded trial to evaluate the differential effectiveness of two brief psychologic interventions (guided imagery and progressive muscle relaxation) on analgesic requirement, pain perception, pulmonary function, duration of postoperative ileus, and fatigue after conventional resection of colorectal carcinoma in elderly cancer patients. RESULTS: Sixty patients (20 guided imagery, 22 relaxation, 18 control) were evaluated. Acceptance of the brief psychologic interventions was high and 90 percent of the patients indicated that they would recommend it to other patients. Analgesic consumption (P = 0.6) and subjective pain intensity at rest (P = 0.3) and while coughing (P = 0.3) were not different between groups. Recovery of pulmonary function, duration of postoperative ileus, and subjective postoperative fatigue were also not influenced. When the data from intervention groups were pooled, again no benefits were detected compared with the control group. CONCLUSIONS: Brief psychologic interventions such as guided imagery and relaxation yielded a very positive patient response but did not show a clinically relevant influence on the postoperative physiologic course of elderly patients undergoing conventional resections of colorectal cancer.

Publication Types:
Clinical Trial
Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

PMID: 15991068 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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7: Support Care Cancer. 2005 Oct;13(10):826-33. Epub 2005 Apr 23.Related Articles, Links   
Efficacy of progressive muscle relaxation training and guided imagery in reducing chemotherapy side effects in patients with breast cancer and in improving their quality of life.

Yoo HJ, Ahn SH, Kim SB, Kim WK, Han OS.

Department of Psychiatry, Asan Medical Center, University of Ulsan College of Medicine, Pungnap-dong Songpa-gu, 138-736 Seoul, South Korea. junhkl@hanafos.com

GOALS: This study was designed to assess the effectiveness of progressive muscle relaxation training (PMRT) and guided imagery (GI) in reducing the anticipatory nausea and vomiting (ANV) and postchemotherapy nausea and vomiting (PNV) of patients with breast cancer and to measure their effects on the patients' quality of life (QoL). PATIENTS AND METHODS: Thirty chemotherapy-naive patients with breast cancer were randomized to the PMRT and GI group and 30 to the control group. Before each of six cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy, each patient was administered a self-report Multiple Affect Adjective Checklist (MAACL), and incidents of ANV and PNV for the first three postchemotherapy days were recorded. All patients were administered the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Breast (FACT-B) at baseline and after 3 and 6 months. RESULTS: We found that the PMRT and GI group was significantly less anxious, depressive, and hostile than the control group. We also found that the PMRT and GI group experienced significantly less ANV and PNV and that 6 months after CT, the QoL of the PMRT and GI group was higher than that of the control group. CONCLUSION: These results indicate that PMRT and GI were associated with both the improvements in ANV and PNV and in the QoL of patients with breast cancer.

Publication Types:
Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

PMID: 15856335 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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8: Cancer Nurs. 2002 Dec;25(6):432-5.Related Articles, Links  
Relaxation and imagery for anxiety and depression control in community patients with advanced cancer.

Sloman R.

The Hebrew University, School of Nursing, Jerusalem, Israel. sloman@netvision.net.il

A community-based nursing study was conducted in Sydney, Australia, to compare the effects of progressive muscle relaxation and guided imagery on anxiety, depression, and quality of life in people with advanced cancer. In this study, 56 people with advanced cancer who were experiencing anxiety and depression were randomly assigned to 1 of 4 treatment conditions: (1) progressive muscle relaxation training, (2) guided imagery training, (3) both of these treatments, and (4) control group. Subjects were tested before and after learning muscle relaxation and guided imagery techniques for anxiety, depression, and quality of life using the Hospital Anxiety and Depression scale and the Functional Living Index-Cancer scale. There was no significant improvement for anxiety; however, significant positive changes occurred for depression and quality of life.

Publication Types:
Clinical Trial
Comparative Study
Randomized Controlled Trial

PMID: 12464834 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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9: J Med Syst. 2000 Jun;24(3):173-82.Related Articles, Links  
Using the bedside wellness system during chemotherapy decreases fatigue and emesis in cancer patients.

Oyama H, Kaneda M, Katsumata N, Akechi T, Ohsuga M.

National Cancer Center Hospital, Tokyo, Japan.

BACKGROUND: The bedside wellness system (BSW) is effective for decreasing stress and improving mental well-being and should help relieve the side effects and mental disorders of patients during cancer chemotherapy. METHODS: The study was a randomized clinical trial. After giving informed consent, patients were randomly assigned to the BSW intervention or control groups. The patients were given the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) test before the trial to evaluate their emotional baseline. The Cancer Fatigue Scale, which was developed at our institute, and face visual analog scale were used to measure the emotional state and subjective feelings before and after the trial. The degree of emesis was measured using a visual analogue scale after the experience. We set up the system in a room in the outpatient clinic of the National Cancer Center New Hospital Building. RESULTS: The decreases in the fatigue score and emesis score 3-5 days after chemotherapy were statistically significant (both p < 0.05) and carry-over effects were detected. CONCLUSIONS: BSW intervention therapy is an effective way to treat fatigue and emesis. This virtual reality system is a new therapeutic method that can be used in palliative medicine.

Publication Types:
Clinical Trial
Comparative Study
Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

PMID: 10984871 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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10: Br J Cancer. 1999 Apr;80(1-2):262-8.Related Articles, Links  
Psychological, clinical and pathological effects of relaxation training and guided imagery during primary chemotherapy.

Walker LG, Walker MB, Ogston K, Heys SD, Ah-See AK, Miller ID, Hutcheon AW, Sarkar TK, Eremin O.

Behavioural Oncology Unit, University of Aberdeen, Medical School, Foresterhill, UK.

The diagnosis and treatment of breast cancer are stressful, and stress may be associated with a poorer response to chemotherapy. There is a need, therefore, to develop and evaluate interventions that might enhance quality of life and, possibly, improve treatment response. The effects of relaxation combined with guided imagery (visualizing host defences destroying tumour cells) on quality of life and response to primary chemotherapy, to date, have not been adequately evaluated. Ninety-six women with newly diagnosed large or locally advanced breast cancer (T2 > 4 cm, T3, T4, or TxN2 and M0) took part in a prospective, randomized controlled trial. Patients were randomized following diagnosis to a control condition (standard care) or to the experimental condition (standard care plus relaxation training and imagery). Psychometric tests to evaluate mood and quality of life were carried out before each of the six cycles of chemotherapy and 3 weeks after cycle 6: tests of personality and coping strategy were carried out prior to cycles one and six. Clinical response to chemotherapy was evaluated after six cycles of chemotherapy using standard UICC criteria and pathological response was assessed from the tissue removed at surgery. As hypothesized, patients in the experimental group were more relaxed and easy going during the study (Mood Rating Scale). Quality of life was better in the experimental group (Global Self-assessment and Rotterdam Symptom Checklist). The intervention also reduced emotional suppression (Courtauld Emotional Control Scale). The incidence of clinically significant mood disturbance was very low and the incidence in the two groups was similar. Finally, although the groups did not differ for clinical or pathological response to chemotherapy, imagery ratings were correlated with clinical response. These simple, inexpensive and beneficial interventions should be offered to patients wishing to improve quality of life during primary chemotherapy.

Publication Types:
Clinical Trial
Randomized Controlled Trial

PMID: 10390006 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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11: Res Nurs Health. 1998 Jun;21(3):189-98.Related Articles, Links   
Imaging ability and effective use of guided imagery.

Kwekkeboom K, Huseby-Moore K, Ward S.

University of Wisconsin-Madison, School of Nursing, 53792, USA.

Imaging ability, the ability to generate mental images and become absorbed in them as if they were real, is proposed as a moderator in the relationship between guided imagery and symptom relief. Two existing measures of image generation, Marks's (1973) Vividness of Visual Imagery Questionnaire and Betts's (1909) shortened Questionnaire Upon Mental Imagery (Sheehan, 1967), and one measure of absorption, Tellegen's Absorption scale (1993; TAS) were completed by 60 graduate students prior to listening to a guided imagery intervention to relieve anxiety associated with an upcoming stressful task. Analyses were conducted using data from 30 participants (7 men and 23 women) who reported an increase in anxiety level after learning of the stressful task. Participants were divided into two groups, successful (n=21) and unsuccessful (n=9) users of imagery, based on change in anxiety scores after listening to the guided imagery intervention. Absorption (TAS) scores were significantly higher for persons in the successful group; there were no differences in image generation scores. Two TAS items were identified as potential predictors of success with guided imagery. Findings may be helpful in developing a clinically useful instrument to predict likelihood of success with guided imagery in relieving cancer pain and its distress.

Publication Types:
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

PMID: 9609504 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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12: J Pediatr Nurs. 1998 Feb;13(1):48-54.Related Articles, Links  
Relationships between cognitive behavioral techniques, temperament, observed distress, and pain reports in children and adolescents during lumbar puncture.

Broome ME, Rehwaldt M, Fogg L.

University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee 53211, USA.

A limited number of studies have examined relationships between temperament and children's/adolescents' responses to painful procedures and have identified several different dimensions of temperament that are related to children's pain response. The focus of these studies was one-time, acute pain experiences, such as immunization and postoperative pain. In this study, children and adolescents' responses to a moderately painful procedure, lumbar puncture, were examined as they related to temperament. Nineteen children and adolescents, ages 4 to 18 years, who were receiving treatment for cancer, were participants in this study. Parents completed one of three age-appropriate temperament questionnaires at the beginning of the study and prior to the parent and child learning cognitive-behavioral techniques. Behavior during the procedure was videotaped at baseline, and for up to four visits after baseline and coded using the Observation Scale of Behavioral Distress (OSBD). Pain reports were collected after the procedure using the Oucher pain self-report scale. Improvement in the level of behavioral distress was determined by examining the differences between pre- and post-treatment OSBD scores and self-reported pain ratings. There was a significant improvement in pain reports over the 5-month period, but behavioral distress did not change significantly. At the baseline visit, the temperament dimensions of more positive mood, lower activity, less persistence, and lower distractibility were related to higher pain reports, but not behavioral distress. However, after 5 months, only the dimension of positive mood was significantly correlated with improvement in pain reports. The amount of time parents and children practiced the techniques, their comfort with the techniques and their perceived effectiveness also were correlated with positive mood.

Publication Types:
Clinical Trial
Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

PMID: 9503766 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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13: Oncology (Williston Park). 1997 Aug;11(8):1179-89; discussion 1189-95.Related Articles, Links
Imagery and hypnosis in the treatment of cancer patients.

Spiegel D, Moore R.

Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, Stanford University School of Medicine, California, USA.

Many patients with cancer often seek some means of connecting their mental activity with the unwelcome events occurring in their bodies, via techniques such as imagery and hypnosis. Hypnosis has been shown to be an effective method for controlling cancer pain. The techniques most often employed involve physical relaxation coupled with imagery that provides a substitute focus of attention for the painful sensation. Other related imagery techniques, such as guided imagery, involve attention to internally generated mental images without the formal use of hypnosis. The most well-known of these techniques involves the use of "positive mental images" of a strong army of white blood cells killing cancer cells. Despite claims to the contrary, no reliable evidence has shown that this technique affects disease progression or survival. Studies evaluating more broadly defined forms psychosocial support have come to conflicting conclusions about whether or not these interventions affect survival of cancer patients. However, 10-year follow-up of a randomized trial involving 86 women with cancer showed that a year of weekly "supportive/expressive" group therapy significantly increased survival duration and time from recurrence to death. This intervention encourages patients to express and deal with strong emotions and also focuses on clarifying doctor-patient communication. Numerous other studies suggest that suppression of negative affect, excessive conformity, severe stress, and lack of social support predict a poorer medical outcome from cancer. Thus, further investigation into the interaction between body and mind in coping with cancer is warranted.

Publication Types:
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Review

PMID: 9268979 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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14: Crit Rev Oral Biol Med. 1997;8(4):461-74.Related Articles, Links  
Psychosocial factors and secretory immunoglobulin A.

Valdimarsdottir HB, Stone AA.

Department of Psychiatry, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, New York 10021, USA.

This review focuses on studies that have examined the relation between psychosocial factors and secretory immunoglobulin A (s-IgA). Several studies have examined the relation between s-IgA and stressful circumstances ranging from major life events to minor daily events. The findings from these studies were often contradictory, since different experimenters reported different stress-related changes in s-IgA. The effects of stress reduction interventions, such as relaxation and imagery, on s-IgA levels have also been examined. Although these studies indicate that various interventions are associated with increases in s-IgA levels, methodological refinements are needed before more definitive conclusions can be made. The possibility that the relation between stress and s-IgA may be moderated by personality characteristics or mediated by psychological distress was supported in some studies. The review concludes with suggestions for future research.

Publication Types:
Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, Non-P.H.S.
Review

PMID: 9391755 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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15: Pain. 1995 Nov;63(2):189-98.Related Articles, Links   
Relaxation and imagery and cognitive-behavioral training reduce pain during cancer treatment: a controlled clinical trial.

Syrjala KL, Donaldson GW, Davis MW, Kippes ME, Carr JE.

Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA 98104, USA.

Few controlled clinical trials of psychological interventions for cancer pain relief exist in spite of frequent support for their importance as adjuncts to medical treatment. This study compared oral mucositis pain levels in 4 groups of cancer patients receiving bone marrow transplants (BMT): (1) treatment as usual control, (2) therapist support, (3) relaxation and imagery training, and (4) training in a package of cognitive-behavioral coping skills which included relaxation and imagery. A total of 94 patients completed the study which involved two training sessions prior to treatment and twice a week 'booster' sessions during the first 5 weeks of treatment. Results confirmed our hypothesis that patients who received either relaxation and imagery alone or patients who received the package of cognitive-behavioral coping skills would report less pain than patients in the other 2 groups. The hypothesis that the cognitive-behavioral skills package would have an additive effect beyond relaxation and imagery alone was not confirmed. Average visual analogue scale (VAS) report of pain within the therapist support group was not significantly lower than the control group (P = 0.103) nor significantly higher than the training groups. Patient reports of relative helpfulness of the interventions for managing pain and nausea matched the results of VAS reports. From these results, we conclude that relaxation and imagery training reduces cancer treatment-related pain; adding cognitive-behavioral skills to the relaxation with imagery does not, on average, further improve pain relief.

Publication Types:
Clinical Trial
Randomized Controlled Trial
Research Support, U.S. Gov't, P.H.S.

PMID: 8628584 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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16: Oncol Nurs Forum. 1993 Sep;20(8):1179-85.Related Articles, Links
The influence of guided imagery on chemotherapy-related nausea and vomiting.

Troesch LM, Rodehaver CB, Delaney EA, Yanes B.

Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital and Research Institute, Ohio State University, Columbus.

The purpose of this study was to determine if the addition of guided imagery to a standard antiemetic regimen decreased nausea, vomiting, and retching occurrence and distress in patients receiving cisplatin-based chemotherapy. A convenience sample of patients (N = 28) was selected from an oncologist's patient population and randomized into two groups. Both groups received the same standard antiemetic regimen, while the experimental group additionally used a chemotherapy-specific guided-imagery audiotape. The Rhodes Index of Nausea and Vomiting Form 2 was used to measure the nausea and vomiting experience. Findings revealed no statistically significant difference in this measurement between the two groups when measured at five different times during chemotherapy administration. The Chemotherapy Experience Survey was used to evaluate the participants' overall perceptions of the chemotherapy experience. The guided-imagery group expressed a significantly more positive experience (p = 0.0001) with chemotherapy. These findings have definite implications for developing effective nursing interventions to promote patient involvement in self-care practices and to increase patient coping abilities during symptom occurrence.

Publication Types:
Clinical Trial
Comparative Study
Randomized Controlled Trial

PMID: 8415147 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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17: J Adolesc Health Care. 1989 Jul;10(4):323-7.Related Articles, Links
Self-regulation treatment to reduce the aversiveness of cancer chemotherapy.

Kaufman KL, Tarnowski KJ, Olson R.

Department of Pediatrics, Ohio State University, Columbus 43205.

In an A-B design, the effectiveness of a multicomponent intervention for reducing chemotherapy-associated nausea and emesis in an 11-year-old cancer patient was evaluated. A highly structured, time-limited, self-regulation treatment was implemented that consisted of patient and parent instruction in self-hypnotic methods, cue-controlled relaxation, and guided imagery. Practice of the self-regulation methods at home and in vivo (clinic setting) in the absence of chemotherapy infusion were emphasized to promote skill acquisition and cross-setting generalization. Dependent variables included self-reported nausea intensity and parental report of duration of the patient's sleep and vomiting frequency. Data were obtained before, during, and following chemotherapy for baseline and self-regulation treatment phases across five cycles of chemotherapy that occurred over a 5-month period. During the intervention phase, a marked and clinically significant reduction in self-reported nausea and parent-observed vomiting were noted as well as a concurrent increase in sleep duration. The integrity of patient self-report and parental observations were supported by clinic staff anecdotal data. Treatment limitations and cost-effectiveness are discussed as well as the use of this intervention with adolescent patients.

Publication Types:
Case Reports

PMID: 2543654 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

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18: Health Educ Q. 1984 Spring;10 Suppl:57-66.Related Articles, Links
Learned aversions to chemotherapy treatment.

Redd WH, Hendler CS.

Recent advances in behavioral psychology and its application in medical settings have yielded effective methods for reducing distress in patients undergoing cancer treatment. This article focuses on the control of anticipatory nausea and vomiting in patients receiving chemotherapy. Four behavioral methods (i.e., hypnosis used with guided imagery, progressive muscle relaxation training with imagery, biofeedback with imagery, and systematic desensitization) are evaluated. Clinical issues and the relevance of behavioral medicine to health education are addressed.

PMID: 6706616 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]