The Effect of Relaxation Breathing Exercise on Chemotherapy Induced Nausea and Vomiting

The Effect of Relaxation Breathing Exercise on Chemotherapy Induced Nausea and Vomiting in Patients With Hematological Malignancies

The Effect of Relaxation Breathing Exercise on Chemotherapy Induced Nausea and Vomiting in Patients With Hematological Malignancies ABSTRACT

Background:

Chemotherapy is widely used in the treatment of hematological malignancies despite it has important and difficult side effects in patients. Chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting are among the most common side effects in patients and antiemetic drugs may not be always curative.

Purpose:

This research aimed to determine the effectiveness of relaxation breathing exercise on managing chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting in patients with hematological malignancies undergoing chemotherapy.

Method:

A randomized controlled trial design was conducted with a total of selected sixty eight patients with hematological malignancies (34 intervention and 34 control participants) undergoing chemotherapy hospitalized in the hematology clinic of a Training and Research Hospital. The intervention group implemented relaxation breathing exercise three times a day with a standard treatment protocol and the control group only received routine drug treatment for chemotherapy induced nausea and vomiting. Nausea and vomiting were assessed by filling Rhodes Index of Nausea Vomiting and Retching (RINVR) for the first six days after the start of the chemotherapy.

Results:

Data collection process ended. Data analysis process is in progress.

Conclusion:

In this study the effectiveness of relaxation breathing exercise on chemotherapy related nausea and vomiting will be examined in patients with hematological malignancies.

Keywords: Relaxation breathing exercise; Hematological malignancies; Chemotherapy; Nausea and vomiting

Study Overview

• Status: Active, not recruiting
• Conditions: Hematological Malignancies; Nausea and Vomiting Chemotherapy-Induced
• Intervention / Treatment: Behavioral: Relaxation breathing exercise; Behavioral: Control group

Detailed Description

The research was conducted in the hematology clinics of a university training and research hospital in Istanbul, Turkey. Hospitalized patients with hematological malignancies who underwent chemotherapy were included in the research. Hematology patients apply to the hematology polyclinics in the hospital and then patients who are diagnosed with hematological malignancies such as leukemia, lymphoma or multiple myelome and will receive chemotherapy are hospitalized. The researcher planned to help patients to cope with nausea and vomiting while they were receiving chemotherapy in this study. Before the chemotherapy had been started, the relaxation breathing exercise training was provided to the hospitalized patients in their rooms who agreed to participate in the study. After training a guidebook about relaxation breathing exercise was given to the patients so that they would not forget how to implement the intervention

• Study Type: Interventional
• Enrollment (Actual): 68
• Phase: Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

Study Locations

• Turkey (Türkiye)
  • Kartal
    • Istanbul, Kartal, Turkey (Türkiye), 34000
      • Marmara University, Mehmet Genç Complex

Participation Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

• Ages Eligible for Study: Adult; Older Adult
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

• Aged 18 years or over with hematological malignancies
• Undergoing chemotherapy
• Not having any communication problems (able to read, write and speak Turkish.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Having psychiatric and mental problems
• Receiving radiotherapy concurrent with chemotherapy, 3) Having respiratory distress
• Having central nervous system involvement
• Having Grade 3 or Grade 4 nausea and vomiting.

Study Plan

How is the study designed?

Design Details

• Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
• Allocation: Randomized
• Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
• Masking: Single

Number of Arms

2

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm	Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Control group	Behavioral: Control group; Control group does not perform relaxation breathing exercise. They only receive standard treatment.
Experimental: Relaxation breathing exercise intervention group	Behavioral: Relaxation breathing exercise; Relaxation breathing exercise: Preliminary exercise:Participants lie comfortably on their backs in the bed and focus on the lower abdomen. They place their left ankles over their right knees and then place their right ankles over their left knees. They draw both knees toward their abdomens.; Relaxation breathing:Participants relax while breathing deeply through their noses and letting them out through their mouths slowly. They count to four and breathe in deeply, they hold their breathe while counting to four, and breathe out while counting to eight.; Ending exercise: Participants stretch their arms and legs and then loosen them. They relax the muscles concerned with their faces, shoulders and eyebrows by keeping their mind clear.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure	Measure Description	Time Frame
Change from the start of the chemotherapy in the frequency and severity of nasea, vomiting and retching at 6 days.	Zero is equivalent to no nausea, no vomiting and no retching and 4 indicates the worst and unbearable nausea, vomiting and retching	From enrollment to the end of intervention at 6 days

Collaborators and Investigators

• Sponsor: Marmara University
• Investigators: Study Director: Sıdıka Oğuz, Prof.Dr., Marmara University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Medical Nursing

Publications and helpful links

Helpful Links

• International journal of clinical trials

Study record dates

Study Major Dates

• Study Start (Actual): January 30, 2024
• Primary Completion (Actual): September 30, 2025
• Study Completion (Estimated): March 1, 2026

Study Registration Dates

• First Submitted: February 26, 2026
• First Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 6, 2026
• First Posted (Actual): March 9, 2026

Study Record Updates

• Last Update Posted (Actual): March 9, 2026
• Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria: March 6, 2026
• Last Verified: February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

• Keywords: Chemotherapy; Nausea and vomiting; Relaxation breathing exercise
• Additional Relevant MeSH Terms: Neoplasms by Site; Neoplasms; Signs and Symptoms, Digestive; Hematologic Diseases; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms; Signs and Symptoms; Hemic and Lymphatic Diseases; Hematologic Neoplasms; Nausea; Vomiting; Investigative Techniques; Epidemiologic Research Design; Epidemiologic Methods; Research Design; Methods; Control Groups
• Other Study ID Numbers: Protocol No:09.2020.1036

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

• Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?: YES
• IPD Plan Description: IPD used in the results
• IPD Sharing Time Frame: Beginning 3 months and ending 1 year after the publication of results
• IPD Sharing Access Criteria: Types of analyses that qualify for data sharing and the statistical methods for those analyses.
• IPD Sharing Supporting Information Type: STUDY_PROTOCOL

Drug and device information, study documents

• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product: No
• Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product: No