Association Between Personality Characteristics and the Prevalence and Extinction of Conditioned Nausea After Chemotherapy

Abstract

The prevalence and correlates of conditioned nausea were evaluated in 39 relapse-free men 13 to 75 months after completion of chemotherapy for testicular cancer. Two-thirds (26) of the patients reported this conditioned side effcct during thc first 12 months after treatment, and fewer than half (16) reported it for more than 12 months. Relatively high autonomic perceptivity and neuroticism were associated with both the prevalence and slow extinction of conditioned nausea. A history of motion sickness was linked to this conditioned side effect, and extroversion was related only to its prevalence. Patients who had experienced conditioned nausea had received a greater number of chemotherapy cycles, and those with persistent nausea also reported more profound vomiting during chemotherapy. Antiemetic - treatment with highdose metoclopramide during chemotherapy did not prevent development of conditioned nausea but did tend to contribute to its faster extinction.