College of Nursing (H.K., Y.L., M.K.), Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea.
College of Nursing (H.K., Y.L., M.K.), Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, Republic of Korea.
J Pain Symptom Manage. 2024 Dec;68(6):e434-e446. doi: 10.1016/j.jpainsymman.2024.07.010. Epub 2024 Jul 23.
Cancer has become a chronic disease to which new therapeutic approaches are being applied and many patients are interested in the long-term consequences of these approaches. Aromatherapy is one approach that has been used as a safe and comfortable method to alleviate symptoms in patients with cancer, and its effects on various aspects of life have been reported.
A systematic review and meta-analysis were conducted to examine the effects of aromatherapy on quality of life (QoL) and pain in patients with cancer.
Using a comprehensive search strategy, 11 databases were searched from their inception to July 2023 for randomized controlled trials. In the meta-analysis, the standardized mean difference and 95% confidence interval were calculated as effect measures by applying a random effects model.
Fifteen studies met the inclusion criteria. Aromatherapy was found to have favorable effects in improving QoL (Hedges' ĝ = 0.62, 95% CI: 0.24-1.00), but no statistically significant effect of aromatherapy on pain was found (Hedges' ĝ = -0.46, 95% CI: -0.99 to 0.07).
The findings indicate statistically significant improvements in QoL when combining aromatherapy and massage, but it was not possible to disentangle the individual effects of each. Considering the characteristics of cancer patients, aromatherapy has beneficial effects as a non-pharmacological method. Further research is needed to investigate the effect of aromatherapy on symptom management, considering factors such as the duration of cancer development and type of cancer.
癌症已成为一种慢性病，新的治疗方法正在应用，许多患者对这些方法的长期后果感兴趣。芳香疗法是一种已被用作缓解癌症患者症状的安全且舒适的方法，其对生活各个方面的影响已被报道。
进行系统评价和荟萃分析，以评估芳香疗法对癌症患者生活质量（QoL）和疼痛的影响。
使用全面的检索策略，从各数据库建立起至 2023 年 7 月对随机对照试验进行了检索。在荟萃分析中，通过应用随机效应模型，计算标准化均数差和 95%置信区间作为效应量。
符合纳入标准的研究有 15 项。芳香疗法被发现对改善生活质量（Hedges' ĝ = 0.62，95%CI：0.24-1.00）有有利影响，但对疼痛没有统计学意义的影响（Hedges' ĝ = -0.46，95%CI：-0.99 至 0.07）。
研究结果表明，芳香疗法与按摩相结合可显著改善生活质量，但无法区分每种方法的单独效果。考虑到癌症患者的特点，芳香疗法作为一种非药物方法具有有益的效果。需要进一步研究芳香疗法对症状管理的影响，考虑癌症发展的持续时间和癌症类型等因素。
