The effect of relaxation exercises on symptom severity in breast cancer patients undergoing adjuvant chemotherapy treatment

Kurt, B., The Effect of Relaxation Exercises on Symptom Severity in Breast Cancer Patients Undergoing Adjuvant Chemotherapy Treatment, Hacettepe University Institute of Health Sciences Internal Medicine Nursing Program Master Thesis, Ankara, 2018. The purpose of the randomized controlled trial is to evaluate the effect of the relaxation exercises to chemotherapy symptoms. Study carried out in Hacettepe University Oncology Hospital Day Treatment Unit, between June-November 1017. Research sample was constituted from the total of 49 breast cancer patients which are planned to have 4 courses of an outpatient chemotherapy treatment, that are distributed in to two groups as 25 of them are response group and 24 of them are control group and they are also stratified according to age and surface area of the body. The patients in the intervention group carried out relaxation exercises for 4 courses (once in 21 days) in the hospital together with the researcher and in their home accompanied by a Mp3 player and brochure as the researcher instructed. Anything other than the routine treatment didn't applied to the patients in the control group. Data has been collected with "Patient Information Form", "Exercise Registry Form", "Relaxation Exercises Evaluation Form" and "Edmonton Symptom Diagnosis Scale". The effect of the exercise measured in 8 different times through the 4 courses, in the way that before every chemotherapy course and the 11th day after the end of the course. After relaxation exercises, in the measurements made on the patients of the response group and in the comparisons made between groups, following are seen; pain, fatigue, nausea, sadness, anxiety, insomnia, loss of appetite, feeling bad, breathlessness, change in skin and nails and severity of the wound symptoms in the mouth were significantly lower than the patients in the control group and severity of all these symptoms significantly increase in the control group (p<0,05). At the end of the study, out hypothesis of relaxation exercises decrease the chemotherapy symptoms has been accepted. According to this result, relaxation exercises decrease the chemotherapy symptoms and it is suggested that breast cancer out-patients that have adjuvant chemotherapy shall use relaxation exercises to decrease the severity of chemotherapy symptoms. Key Words: Adjuvant chemotherapy, breast cancer, relaxation exercises, symptom, symptom severity.