Behavioral intervention for cancer treatment side effects

The use of increasingly aggressive methods of cancer treatment during the l ast 20 years has brought clinical attention to the need for more effective management of pain, nausea, and other aversive side effects of state-of-the -art cancer therapy. One of the most promising approaches to effective mana gement is nonpharmacologic intervention based on behavioral research and th eory. The purpose of this review is to examine the effectiveness of behavio ral intervention methods in the control of aversive side effects of cancer treatments. Fifty-four published studies using a variety of research design s were identified for review. Results indicated the following: 1) Behaviora l intervention can effectively control anticipatory nausea and vomiting in adult and pediatric cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy; however, the e vidence for the efficacy of behavioral intervention to control post-chemoth erapy nausea and vomiting is less clear. 2) Behavioral intervention integra ting several behavioral methods can ameliorate anxiety and distress associa ted with invasive medical treatments. 3) Although a variety of behavioral m ethods have been shown to reduce acute treatment-related pain, there is inc reasing evidence that these methods are not equally effective. Hypnotic-lik e methods, involving relaxation, suggestion, and distracting imagery, hold the greatest promise for pain management, Unfortunately, research is scant on the use of behavioral intervention to control prolonged pain associated with invasive medical procedures. It is clear that the application of behav ioral theory and methods has an important place in the care of patients und ergoing invasive cancer treatments.