Effectiveness of aromatherapy massage in the management of anxiety and depression in patients with cancer: A multicenter randomized controlled trial

TY - JOUR

T1 - Effectiveness of aromatherapy massage in the management of anxiety and depression in patients with cancer: A multicenter randomized controlled trial

AU - Wilkinson, S M

AU - Love, S B

AU - Westcombe, A M

AU - Gambles, M A

AU - Burgess, C C

AU - Cargill, A

AU - Young, T

AU - Maher, E J

AU - Ramirez, A J

PY - 2007/2/10

Y1 - 2007/2/10

N2 - Purpose To test the effectiveness of supplementing usual supportive care with aromatherapy massage in the management of anxiety and depression in cancer patients through a pragmatic two-arm randomized controlled trial in four United Kingdom cancer centers and a hospice. Patients and Methods Two hundred eighty-eight cancer patients, referred to complementary therapy services with clinical anxiety and/or depression, were allocated randomly to a course of aromatherapy massage or usual supportive care alone. Results Patients who received aromatherapy massage had no significant improvement in clinical anxiety and/or depression compared with those receiving usual care at 10 weeks postrandomization ( odds ratio [ OR], 1.3' 95% CI, 0.9 to 1.7' P =.1), but did at 6 weeks postrandomization ( OR, 1.4' 95% CI, 1.1 to 1.9' P =.01). Patients receiving aromatherapy massage also described greater improvement in self-reported anxiety at both 6 and 10 weeks postrandomization ( OR, 3.4' 95% CI, 0.2 to 6.7' P =.04 and OR, 3.4' 95% CI, 0.2 to 6.6' P =.04), respectively. Conclusion Aromatherapy massage does not appear to confer benefit on cancer patients' anxiety and/or depression in the long-term, but is associated with clinically important benefit up to 2 weeks after the intervention

AB - Purpose To test the effectiveness of supplementing usual supportive care with aromatherapy massage in the management of anxiety and depression in cancer patients through a pragmatic two-arm randomized controlled trial in four United Kingdom cancer centers and a hospice. Patients and Methods Two hundred eighty-eight cancer patients, referred to complementary therapy services with clinical anxiety and/or depression, were allocated randomly to a course of aromatherapy massage or usual supportive care alone. Results Patients who received aromatherapy massage had no significant improvement in clinical anxiety and/or depression compared with those receiving usual care at 10 weeks postrandomization ( odds ratio [ OR], 1.3' 95% CI, 0.9 to 1.7' P =.1), but did at 6 weeks postrandomization ( OR, 1.4' 95% CI, 1.1 to 1.9' P =.01). Patients receiving aromatherapy massage also described greater improvement in self-reported anxiety at both 6 and 10 weeks postrandomization ( OR, 3.4' 95% CI, 0.2 to 6.7' P =.04 and OR, 3.4' 95% CI, 0.2 to 6.6' P =.04), respectively. Conclusion Aromatherapy massage does not appear to confer benefit on cancer patients' anxiety and/or depression in the long-term, but is associated with clinically important benefit up to 2 weeks after the intervention

U2 - 10.1200/JCO.2006.08.9987

DO - 10.1200/JCO.2006.08.9987

M3 - Article

SN - 1527-7755

VL - 25

SP - 532

EP - 539

JO - Journal of Clinical Oncology

JF - Journal of Clinical Oncology

IS - 5

ER -