Complementary and alternative treatments for managing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in pediatric cancer patients: A scoping review

Metaxa, Maria-Anastasia and Koutelekos, Ioannis and Moshovi, Maria and Perdikaris, Pantelis (2025) Complementary and alternative treatments for managing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting in pediatric cancer patients: A scoping review. World Journal of Advanced Research and Reviews, 27 (1). pp. 180-193. ISSN 2581-9615

Introduction: Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting are a very common side effect of chemotherapy. To date, neither complete efficacy has been shown for any pharmacological interventions, especially for pediatric patients. Complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) therapy can potentially fill an important niche within the treatment and care continuum, serving as an adjunct to standard care usually provided. Purpose: This article seeks to examine and identify complementary and alternative methods of nausea and vomiting management in pediatric patients with cancer who receive treatment with chemotherapy. Methods: A scoping review was conducted with an emphasis on major alternative therapies, including acupressure, acupuncture, aromatherapy, and music therapy, from the PubMed and Scopus databases. Both qualitative and quantitative research from 2005 to 2025, either in Greek or English, was included within the review. An international outlook was considered for conducting the study. Article identification, selection, and presentation were done according to PRISMA-ScR guidelines and applied individually to each category before combining them. Inclusion criteria for the articles included cancer patients who were receiving chemotherapy and had symptoms of nausea and vomiting. Results: There was a total of 15 articles included. Outcomes were beneficial, particularly regarding a lack of progression of chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) due to the use of acupuncture techniques (auricular, classic, and electroacupuncture) along with music therapy. Although aromatherapy did not exhibit improvements of symptoms, it helped stabilize levels of CINV; however, acupressure with Sea-Bands or manual techniques, although easy to administer and quickly applied, were unable to reap statistically significant results from any study within these analyses. Conclusions: The concurrent administration of complementary and standard therapies can potentially benefit from reducing antiemetic drug consumption, successfully controlling both acute and delayed CINV, and improving patients' quality of life. This study calls for more research and clinical trials aimed at assessing these methods for their efficacy and safety and integrating them into clinical practice. Scientific roles for nurses as researchers, caregivers, and teachers have been identified and appreciated throughout various studies.