Etiology and Treatment of the Psychological Side Effects Associated With Cancer Chemotherapy: A Critical Review and Discussion

Cancer patients receiving chemotherapeutic treatments routinely experience a wide range of distressing side effects, including nausea, vomiting, and dysphoria. Such symptoms often compromise patients' quality of life and may lead to the decision to postpone or even reject future, potentially life-saving, treatments. In this article, we discuss the hypotheses that have been offered to explain the development of such symptoms. We also review, in greater detail, the research evidence for the efficacy of five treatments for such symptoms: hypnosis, progressive muscle relaxation training with guided imagery, systematic desensitization, attentional diversion or redirection, and biofeedback. We discuss the implications of this treatment research, paying particular attention to factors associated with treatment outcome, mechanisms of treatment effectiveness, and issues associated with clinical application.