Can Early Patient Education Help to Manage Adverse Effects From Breast Cancer Treatment?

By: Vanessa A. Carter, BS
Posted: Thursday, September 12, 2024

Aravindh S. Anand, MD, of Government Medical College, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India, and colleagues conducted a study to evaluate the impact of early health intervention programs—such as muscle relaxation and health education—on side-effect management among women with breast cancer treated with chemotherapy. Published in the journal Cureus, the results of this trial suggest that when oncologists include such programs in their treatment plan, patients appear to fare better than those without these interventions.

“The study highlights the need for early recognition of the adverse effects of chemotherapy and encouragement of patient’s involvement in their treatment and management of side effects to improve the quality of life,” concluded the study authors.

This randomized, controlled trial enrolled 340 female patients diagnosed with breast cancer who received their initial chemotherapy cycle at a tertiary care hospital in Thiruvananthapuram. Participants were randomly assigned 1:1 to receive early health intervention (n = 170) or routine care (n = 170). Given on the first day of chemotherapy, the early health intervention lasted for 40 minutes. The educational session was conducted using a lecture-discussion format, either individually or in small groups of three to four patients; the session lasted for 20 minutes. Additionally, a pamphlet in Malayalam covering this information was distributed. The severity of adverse effects was evaluated using the Common Terminology Criteria for Adverse Events, version 3.

Invasive breast cancer was the most common diagnosis in both the experimental (90%) and control (84.7%) groups. Significantly more patients who received routine care experienced fatigue (P < .001), mucositis (P < .01), anorexia (P < .01), nausea (P < .01), vomiting (P < .01), insomnia (P < .01), taste alteration (P < .01), hair loss (P < .05), neutrophil count alteration (P < .01), and leukopenia (P = .001) compared with those receiving health education. Further, these events were more likely to be severe among participants who underwent routine care.

Disclosure: Disclosure information was not provided.

Cureus