Abstract

Patients with breast cancer (PsBC) usually face with chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting (CINV). The aim of this study was to assess the impact of nutritional counseling on CINV and quality of life (QoL) of PsBC. 150 PsBC were randomly assigned for receiving a personalized diet, which contained 1.2-1.5 g/kg of protein, 30% of energy from fat and 55-60% of energy from carbohydrate, a face to face nutrition education, and a pamphlet which contained beneficial nutrition information to reduce the severity of CINV before each chemotherapy session for three times (n = 75) or regular care (n = 75). CINV, QoL, and dietary intake were evaluated after each chemotherapy session. Nausea rating index, overall nausea index, and visual analog scale (P < 0.001) were dramatically lower in the intervention group. Global health status/QoL as well as physical functioning, role functioning, emotional functioning, and cognitive functioning (P < 0.001) were significantly better in the intervention group. Patients in the control group experienced more fatigue, nausea and vomiting, pain, dyspnea, loss of appetite, constipation, and diarrhea (P < 0.001). Nutrition counseling during adjuvant chemotherapy among PsBC reduced the occurrence of CINV and led to significant improvements in the QoL.