SynthesisAfrican journal of traditional, complementary, and alternative medicines : AJTCAM2012
Aromatherapy as an adjuvant treatment in cancer care--a descriptive systematic review.
Synthesis in African journal of traditional, complementary, and alternative medicines : AJTCAM, 2012. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 28 papers, 2 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Aromatherapy for Management of Chemotherapy-induced Symptoms
Aromatherapy for Management of Pain, Anxiety, and Nausea in the Acute Care Setting
Who cites it
28 citing papers in PubMed, 2 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 100 citations in OpenAlex.
- Touching body, soul, and spirit? Understanding external applications from integrative medicine: A mixed methods systematic review.Frontiers in medicine · 2022Pooled it
- The Effects of Aromatherapy on Anxiety and Depression in People With Cancer: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Frontiers in public health · 2022Pooled it
- Effects of aromatherapy on chemotherapy-related symptom management.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2026Trial
- The impact of muscle energy technique and aromatherapy on pain, disability, and sleep quality in office workers with nonspecific neck pain: randomized controlled study.Revista da Associacao Medica Brasileira (1992) · 2026Trial
- The effects of aromatherapy and music on pain, anxiety, and stress levels in palliative care patients.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2024Trial
- The Efficacy of Aromatherapy on Pain and Anxiety During Needle-Related Procedures in Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Journal of pain research · 2025Review
- Evaluation of the effect of essential oil aromatherapy on anxiety and pain during administration of local anesthesia in children: a randomized clinical trial.Journal of dental anesthesia and pain medicine · 2024Article
- Anxiety-Reducing Effects of Lavender Essential Oil Inhalation: A Systematic Review.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- Revisiting Oral Antiseptics, Microorganism Targets and Effectiveness.Journal of personalized medicine · 2023Review
- Article
- Natural Herbal Non-Opioid Topical Pain Relievers-Comparison with Traditional Therapy.Pharmaceutics · 2022Review
- Article
- Enhancing Cytotoxicity of Tamoxifen UsingEvidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2022Article
- Exploring Pharmacological Mechanisms of Essential Oils on the Central Nervous System.Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2021Review
- Effect of Aromatherapy on Dental Anxiety and Pain in Children Undergoing Local Anesthetic Administrations: A Randomized Clinical Trial.Journal of caring sciences · 2021Article
- Impact of Lavender on Pain and Anxiety Levels Associated With Spine Procedures.Ochsner journal · 2021Article
- Essential Oils and Their Main Chemical Components: The Past 20 Years of Preclinical Studies in Melanoma.Cancers · 2020Review
- Forest Volatile Organic Compounds and Their Effects on Human Health: A State-of-the-Art Review.International journal of environmental research and public health · 2020Review
- Onco-Esthetics Dilemma: Is There a Role for Electrocosmetic-Medical Devices?Frontiers in oncology · 2020Review
- Acute Effects of Transdermal Administration of Jojoba Oil on Lipid Metabolism in Mice.Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania) · 2019Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
Claims of benefits of aromatherapy for cancer patients include reduced anxiety levels and relief of emotional stress, pain, muscular tension and fatigue. The objective of this paper is to provide an updated descriptive, systematic review of evidence from pre-clinical and clinical trials assessing the benefits and safety of aromatherapy for cancer patients. Literature databases such as Medline (via Ovid), the Cochrane database of systematic reviews, Cochrane Central were searched from their inception until October 2010. Only studies on cancer cells or cancer patients were included. There is no long lasting effect of aromatherapy massage, while short term improvements were reported for general well being, anxiety and depression up to 8 weeks after treatment. The reviewed studies indicate short-term effects of aromatherapy on depression, anxiety and overall wellbeing. Specifically, some clinical trials found an increase in patient-identified symptom relief, psychological wellbeing and improved sleep. Furthermore, some found a short-term improvement (up to 2 weeks after treatment) in anxiety and depression scores and better pain control. Although essential oils have generally shown minimal adverse effects, potential risks include ingesting large amounts (intentional misuse); local skin irritation, especially with prolonged skin contact; allergic contact dermatitis; and phototoxicity from reaction to sunlight (some oils). Repeated topical administration of lavender and tea tree oil was associated with reversible prepubertal gynecomastia.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.