The Effect of Electromyographic Biofeedback Relaxation Training on Pain Catastrophizing and Fatigue Levels in Lung Cancer Patients Undergoing Combined Chemoradiotherapy.

Abstract

Aims/background: Lung cancer patients undergoing combined chemoradiotherapy often experience pain, fatigue, sleep disturbances, and decreased quality of life. Among these, pain catastrophizing, as a negative cognitive pattern, can exacerbate symptom experience. Similarly, fatigue and sleep disturbances are also influenced by psychological and cognitive factors, yet conventional supportive care provides limited intervention at the psychological and cognitive levels. This study aims to investigate the impact of electromyographic biofeedback relaxation training on pain catastrophizing and fatigue levels in lung cancer patients undergoing combined chemoradiotherapy.

Methods: This study employed a single-center, retrospective cohort design. Through a review of medical records from March 2020 to March 2022, patients who had received structured electromyographic biofeedback relaxation training undergoing chemoradiotherapy were assigned to an observation group (n = 78). Patients without such records, receiving only routine supportive care, were classified as a control group (n = 109). The training consisted of six sessions over two weeks. Outcomes, including pain catastrophizing (Pain Catastrophizing Scale), pain intensity (Visual Analogue Scale), sleep quality (European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer), and quality of life (Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy-Fatigue), were assessed before and after the intervention period.

Results: After the intervention, the pain catastrophism scores, pain intensity scores, and sleep disturbance scores of the observation group were significantly lower than those of the control group, while the fatigue score was significantly higher than that of the control group (all p < 0.05). Furthermore, the observation group also showed significantly better scores and total scores on multiple dimensions of quality of life (including physical well-being, social/family well-being, emotional health, functional well-being, and fatigue subscales) than the control group (p < 0.05).

Conclusions: Supplementing routine combined chemoradiotherapy management with electromyographic biofeedback relaxation training was associated with lower levels of pain catastrophizing and fatigue, improved sleep quality, and enhanced overall quality of life in lung cancer patients. This intervention may represent a safe and feasible non-pharmacological support strategy for symptom management in lung cancer patients undergoing combined chemoradiotherapy.