Effect of Foot Reflexology On Chemotherapy Induced Nausea and Vomiting in Breast Cancer Patients

April 29, 2026 updated by: Dania Azher Khan, University of Health Sciences Lahore

Effect of Foot Reflexology On Chemotherapy Induced Nausea and Vomiting in Breast Cancer Patients: A Randomized Controlled Trial

This study aims to evaluate the effect of foot reflexology on chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in breast cancer patients. Nausea and vomiting are common side effects of chemotherapy and can negatively affect patients' comfort and quality of life. Foot reflexology is a non-invasive complementary therapy that involves applying pressure to specific points on the feet. The study will compare patients who receive foot reflexology along with standard care to those who receive standard care alone, to determine whether foot reflexology helps reduce the severity of nausea and vomiting during chemotherapy.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

This study will be conducted to assess the effectiveness of foot reflexology in reducing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting among breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. Eligible participants will be adult breast cancer patients undergoing scheduled chemotherapy treatment.

After enrollment, participants will be randomly assigned into two groups: an experimental group and a control group. The experimental group will receive foot reflexology in addition to standard chemotherapy care, while the control group will receive standard care only.

Foot reflexology will be administered by the researcher using a standardized technique. Each session will last approximately 20-30 minutes and will be provided during chemotherapy sessions across multiple chemotherapy cycles with an interval of 21 days. Reflex points associated with nausea, vomiting, relaxation, and digestion will be stimulated using appropriate pressure techniques.

Nausea and vomiting will be assessed using a standardized assessment tool before and after the intervention during each chemotherapy cycle. The collected data will be analyzed to compare the severity of nausea and vomiting between the experimental and control groups to determine the effectiveness of foot reflexology as a supportive therapy for managing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

50

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact Backup

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Adult
  • Older Adult

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

Breast Cancer patients aged >18 Patients receiving chemotherapy in curative setting

Exclusion Criteria:

Patients with paraplegia. Patients with skin ulcers or wounds. Patients with psychiatric conditions. Patients with foot fractures and varicose veins. Patients with GIT and Liver Cancer

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Foot Reflexology plus Standard Care
Participants in this arm will receive foot reflexology in addition to standard chemotherapy care. Foot reflexology will be administered by the researcher using a standardized technique during chemotherapy sessions. Each session will last approximately 20-30 minutes and will be provided during each chemotherapy cycle with a 21-day interval. Standard care will be provided as per hospital protocol.
Other: Foot Reflexology
Foot reflexology is a complementary therapy involving the application of pressure to specific reflex points on the feet associated with nausea, vomiting, relaxation, and digestion. The intervention will be administered by the researcher for 20-30 minutes during chemotherapy sessions using a standardized technique.
No Intervention: Standard Care
Participants in this arm will receive standard chemotherapy care as per hospital protocol. No foot reflexology intervention will be provided.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Severity of Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting
Time Frame: From baseline to end of each chemotherapy cycle (up to four cycles, 21 days apart)
The severity of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting will be assessed using the Rhodes Index of Nausea, Vomiting and Retching (RINVR), a validated scale measuring the frequency, severity, and distress of nausea and vomiting. Scores range from low to high, with higher scores indicating more severe symptoms. Measurements will be recorded before and after the intervention during each chemotherapy cycle.
From baseline to end of each chemotherapy cycle (up to four cycles, 21 days apart)

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

University of Health Sciences Lahore

Investigators

  • Study Chair: DR. Kausar Bano, MBBS, FCPS, Jinnah Hospital Lahore

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

June 1, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

August 2, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

September 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

December 22, 2025

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

December 22, 2025

First Posted (Actual)

January 7, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

April 30, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

April 29, 2026

Last Verified

April 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • DAKhan

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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