Association between most prevalent side effects and number of chemotherapy sessions in women with breast neoplasia

Objective: This study aims to associate the most prevalent side effects with the duration of chemotherapy treatment of women with breast cancer assisted at the Pernambuco Cancer Hospital. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive, cross-sectional study with a quantitative approach, conducted at the Outpatient Unit of a specialized clinic for breast pathology at the Pernambuco Cancer Hospital (PCH). The data collection procedure was performed by applying the Free and Informed Consent Term (FICT) and subsequently a collection instrument with information on the clinical treatment of women. Results: The study results revealed that a considerable portion of women, 192 of them (60.6%), received the diagnosis less than a year ago. When asked if they felt any kind of symptom, 284 patients (89.6%) stated that they had already felt or were feeling at the moment, among them, 238 (83.8%) indicated fatigue (tiredness) as a predominant symptom, followed by of nausea, which featured 218 markings (76.8%). Conclusion: Finally, it is clear that the symptoms, in general, became more prevalent in the lives of patients who had had few chemotherapy sessions.