Toward a behavioral assessment of anticipatory symptoms associated with cancer chemotherapy.

A tripartite assessment of nine patients experiencing either pretreatment nausea and vomiting, pretreatment nausea or posttreatment nausea and vomiting only was conducted. Three consistent patterns of response emerged: (1) patients with pretreatment nausea and vomiting reported elevated levels of nausea and anxiety and demonstrated increased levels of physiological arousal; (2) patients with pretreatment nausea reported elevated levels of nausea and anxiety but showed no evidence of increased physiological arousal; and (3) patients with posttreatment symptoms only evidenced low levels on all measures. These data are consistent with the hypothesis that a continuum of responses exists in patients undergoing chemotherapy ranging from no pre- or posttreatment symptoms to pretreatment nausea and vomiting.