Objective To explore the effect of acupoint application and emotional nursing in patients with advanced lung cancer undergoing chemotherapy.

Methods A total of 124 patients with advanced lung cancer who underwent chemotherapy in our hospital were randomly divided into two groups, with 62 patients per group. The control group received routine care, while the observation group received acupoint application combined with emotional care. The changes in psychological state and quality of life, occurrence of nausea and vomiting before and after nursing intervention were observed in both groups. The changes of blood interleukin-4 (IL-4), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and interferon-γ (INF-γ) were detected by radioenzyme-linked immunoassay.

Results Before the intervention, there was no statistically significant difference in the Hamilton Anxiety Scale (HAMA) scores and Hamilton Depression Scale (HAMD) scores between the two groups (P>0.05). After the intervention, the HAMA and HAMD scores of the observation group were lower than those of the control group (P < 0.05). Before the intervention, there was no statistically significant difference in the scores of symptom dimension and function dimension between the two groups (P>0.05). After the intervention, the score of symptom dimension in the observation group was lower than those in the control group, while the score of function dimension was higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05). After the intervention, the incidence of nausea and vomiting decreased, and the score of the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30 (EORTC QLQ-C30) improved (P < 0.05). After treatment, the INF-γ levels in both groups were higher than before treatment, while VEGF and IL-4 levels were lower than before treatment (P < 0.05). After treatment, the INF-γ level in the observation group was higher than that in the control group, while the VEGF and IL-4 levels were lower than those in the control group (P < 0.05).

Conclusion Acupoint application combined with emotional nursing can improve bad mood, reduce incidence of nausea and vomiting, and improve quality of life and nursing effectiveness in patients with advanced lung cancer chemotherapy.