The Effect of Aromatherapy with Peppermint Essential Oil on Nausea and Vomiting in the Acute Phase of Chemotherapy inPatients with Breast Cancer

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVE: Chemotherapy is one of the main treatment options for cancer patients. Nausea and vomiting are also the most common side effects of chemotherapy drugs. The aim of this study was to determine the effect of aromatherapy with peppermint essential oil on nausea and vomiting in the acute phase of chemotherapy (the first 24 hours) in patients with breast cancer. METHODS: This randomized clinical trial was conducted on 100 women with breast cancer who were referred to the chemotherapy centers of Imam Khomeini Hospital on an outpatient basis for the first course. Patients were randomly divided into intervention and control groups. Peppermint essential oil was used in the intervention group, while normal saline was used in the control group. Frequency and severity of acute nausea and vomiting in the first night after chemotherapy were recorded and compared using Rhodes standard questionnaire with a mean score of 0 – 32. FINDINGS: The two groups were not statistically different in terms of age, duration of cancer, history of alcohol abuse and history of nausea and vomiting. The mean score of nausea in the aromatherapy group was 1.1±1.02 and in the in the control group was 1.82±1.39 (p<0.014). The mean score of vomiting in the intervention group was 0.34±0.66 and in the control group was 0.66±0.97 (p<0.032). CONCLUSION: The results of this study showed that the use of aromatherapy with peppermint essential oil, along with the use of routine anti-nausea/vomiting drugs, can reduce nausea and vomiting in the acute phase of chemotherapy.