Prevalence and risk factors for nausea and vomiting in breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy

Abstract

Background and purpose: Chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) is a common and severe adverse effect of breast cancer (BC) treatment that compromises treatment adherence and quality of life. This meta-analysis aims to assess the prevalence and risk factors of CINV in BC patients, thereby providing clinical insights for its prevention and improvement. Patient/material and methods: Relevant literature was identified through an extensive search of electronic databases from their inception up to July 10, 2025: PubMed, Web of Science, Embase, Cochrane, CNKI, Wanfang, and VIP databases on prevalence rates, odds ratios (OR), and corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI) were extracted for analysis. Results: The screening process identified 12 eligible studies. The meta-analysis showed that the overall prevalence of CINV in BC patients was 48% (95% CI = 0.37–0.58). Univariate analysis identified the following risk factors: age ≤ 45 years (OR = 3.21, 95% CI = 1.44–7.17) and a history of motion sickness (OR = 4.85, 95% CI = 1.65–14.30). Multivariate analysis showed that age ≤ 45 years (OR = 2.36, 95% CI = 1.78–3.14), history of motion sickness (OR = 2.05, 95%CI = 1.42–2.98), and chemotherapy cycles ≥ 3 (OR = 2.27, 95% CI = 1.28–4.04) were risk factors. In contrast, anxiety (OR = 2.74, 95% CI = 0.66–11.29) and comorbidities (OR = 1.04, 95% CI = 0.72–1.49) were not significantly associated with CINV in BC patients. Interpretation: This meta-analysis shows that the prevalence of CINV in BC patients is high. It focused on the Asian population and indicated that younger age, history of motion sickness, and more chemotherapy cycles (≥ 3) were risk factors for CINV. Targeting these risk factors may help prevent CINV in BC patients.