To What Extend Aromatherapy Effects on Chemotherapy Induced Nausea and Vomiting in Patient Diagnosed with Breast Cancer Randomized Controlled Trial

Background: Breast cancer is one of the most common malignancies in the world and in Iran.Prevalence of this disease in Iran 21.4% was reported. One of the main alternatives for treatingbreast cancer is chemotherapy, which causes complications such as acute and delayed nausea andvomiting. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of aromatherapy with peppermint oil onnausea and vomiting induced by chemotherapy among breast cancer patients.Methods: This study was randomized controlled trial on 100 women who suffering from BreastCancer and receiving chemotherapy as outpatient hospital care, in Imam Khomeini. Beforechemotherapy and after obtaining informed consent, the patients with random sampling block wererandomly allocated into intervention and control group. Intervention group received routinemedications for controlling nausea and vomiting as well as aroma therapy with peppermint for fivedays. Meanwhile, the control group received only the routine medications. The data were gatheredby using demographic and Rhodes Standard Questionnaire (about severity and number of nauseaand vomiting). The results obtained from both groups were compared by using the SPSS version 21software and descriptive and analytic statistics.Results: The results showed there were no statistical differences between two groups in somevariables such as age, duration of cancer, history of alcohol use, history of nausea and vomiting (p> 0.05). Use of aromatherapy with peppermint in acute phase lead to decreased of nausea andvomiting without any complications (p<.0.5). The use of aromatherapy with peppermint oil lead toa reduction in frequency and duration of nausea and vomiting in the delayed phase, but notstatistical significance (p> 0.05). Indeed more than half of samples stated that they satisfied witharomatherapy and recommend it to others.Conclusions: aromatherapy with peppermint in breast cancer patients could decreased nausea andvomiting in acute phase after chemotherapy. It is suggested that nurses use this aroma therapy as complementary treatment, inexpensive and without complications for relieving the nausea andvomiting caused by chemotherapy.