Effects of Oral Cryotherapy on Anticipatory, and Acute Nausea and Vomiting in Patients With Breast Cancer Undergoing Adjuvant Chemotherapy: A Randomized Controlled Clinical Trial

A randomized clinical trial in which 70 eligible patients participated. Oral cryotherapy application for the IG was performed in 3 stages: i) instructions on OC by the investigator at the hospital; ii) the implementation of OC accompanied by the investigator at the hospital; iii) the individual application of OC at home by patients. The intervention group had been doing the application for 12 weeks. Nausea vomiting, retching, and EORTC QLQ-C30 life quality index were conducted on the first (T1 = cycle 1 day 0) second (T2 = cycle 2 day 21), third (T3 = cycle 3 day 42), and fourth cycles (T4 = cycle 4 day 63) of adjuvant chemotherapy to the patients in the IG and CG. The results showed that OC had a decrease in the RINVR and EORTC QLQ-C30 scores compared to the control group. Purpose: To determine the effects of oral cryotherapy (OC) on the anticipatory, and acute nausea and vomiting of patients with breast cancer who are receiving adjuvant chemotherapy. Patients and Methods: Seventy eligible patients with breast cancer were assigned to 2 groups by stratified randomization. This parallel grouped, randomized, clinical trial used the ice application protocol. OC application for an intervention group (IG, n = 35) was performed in 3 stages: i) instructions on by the investigator at the hospital; ii) the implementation accompanied by the investigator at the hospital; iii) the individual application of at home by patients. The IG had been doing the application for 12 weeks. The patients in the control group (CG, n = 35) received standard care. Additionally, Rhodes Index of Nausea Vomiting, and Retching, and EORTC QLQ-C30 Life Quality Index were conducted on the first (T1 = cycle 1 day 0), second (T2 = cycle 2 day 21), third (T3 = cycle 3 day 42), and fourth (T4 = cycle 4 day 63) cycles of adjuvant chemotherapy. Results: The anticipatory nausea scores in the T2 and T4, IG were significantly lower than the CG ( P < .05). In the T3, all symptom sub-dimensions except symptom occurrence (t = -0,48; P = .63) of the IG were significantly lower than those of the CG ( P < .05). In the T1, T2, T3, and T4, acute nausea, acute vomiting, acute retching, and anticipatory retching scores, were significantly lower than the CG ( P < .05). Conclusion: OC alone was effective and safe for the treatment of nausea and vomiting. The results of this study showed the clinical applicability of OC in the management of nausea and vomiting.