The effectiveness of the comprehensive coping strategy program on clinicaloutcomes in breast cancer autologous bone marrow transplantation

Patients with breast cancer who undergo autologous bone marrow/peripheral b lood stem cell transplantation (ABMT) cope not only with a life-threatening medical treatment, but also with multiple, interrelated symptoms including pain, fatigue, psychological distress, and nausea. The purpose of this stu dy was to a determine, In a randomized controlled clinical trial, whether c omprehensive coping strategy program (CCSP) was effective in significantly reducing pain, fatigue, psychological distress, and nausea in patients with breast cancer who underwent ABMT. The CCSP was composed of preparatory inf ormation, cognitive restructuring, and relaxation With guided imagery. Rand omization placed 52 patients in the CCSP treatment group and 58 patients in the control group. The CCSP was found to be effective in significantly red ucing nausea as well as nausea combined with fatigue 7 days after the ABMT when the side effects of treatment were most severe. These results are impo rtant given the high incidence of nausea and fatigue in the ABMT population . The CCSP-treated group experienced mild anxiety as compared with the cont rol group who reported moderate anxiety The greatest effectiveness of CCSP may correspond to the time of the greatest morbidity for patients with brea st cancer who have undergone ABM.