Effects of aromatherapy on chemotherapy-related symptom management

PURPOSE: Aromatherapy holds promise for reducing chemotherapy‐related symptoms, however, lacks robust clinical evidence. This study evaluates the feasibility and benefit of aromatherapy in managing chemotherapy‐related symptoms. METHODS: This four‐arm, randomized, blinded clinical trial enrolled 91 cancer patients (≥ 8 years) undergoing chemotherapy for cancer. Participants were randomized into one of four arms (lavender, jojoba, orange, and ginger) for two chemotherapy cycles (Baseline‐no aromatherapy and Cycle 2 ‐ aromatherapy) with an optional third cycle. Participants used aromatherapy inhalers at least 4 times/day for 7 days and rated severity of 7 symptoms (i.e., nausea, vomiting, pain, anxiety, fatigue, sleep difficulties, and lack of appetite) from 0 to 10 daily during each cycle. Primary outcome was feasibility (i.e., retention and aromatherapy compliance through Cycle 2). Preliminary efficacy was evaluated using mean composite symptom severity scores (CSSS; sum daily scores of all individual symptoms for the seven days per cycle). RESULTS: Of the 91 participants randomized, 84 participants started Baseline with 68 completing through Cycle 2. Aromatherapy demonstrated feasibility with overall retention rate of 81.0% (68/84) and high acceptability with 83.3% of all participants reporting use of their inhaler ≥ 21 times during Cycle 2, exceeding our targeted ≥ 75% threshold. The overall change in mean CSSS between Cycle 2 and baseline was on average ‐1.38 (SE = 0.54), showing reduced symptom severity with aromatherapy. CONCLUSION: Aromatherapy is a feasible and acceptable non‐pharmacologic integrative modality for chemotherapy symptom management. Further research is needed to validate these findings and explore the underlying mechanisms of aromatherapy's effects.