Touch Care and Aromatherapy in Cancer

TOUCH care and aromatherapy appeared feasible and safe for hospitalized patients with thoracic malignancies receiving cancer treatment.

A prospective single-arm feasibility study evaluated a combined supportive care intervention in 87 hospitalized patients with thoracic malignancies, most of whom had advanced disease. All patients completed the intervention, and no exacerbation of preexisting symptoms was observed.

The intervention paired 20 minutes of foot touch care with aromatherapy delivered through an aroma bead sachet placed on the patient’s chest. The essential oil was not applied directly to the skin, a design choice intended to reduce the risk of skin irritation in patients undergoing chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or best supportive care.

Safety Findings Support Further Study

All 87 evaluable patients completed the touch care and aromatherapy intervention. Intervention-related adverse events or discomfort occurred in five patients (5.7%), and all were minor. One patient experienced Grade 1 fatigue after the intervention, while four reported aroma-related discomfort. These issues were managed without discontinuation, including by moving the aroma bead sachet farther from the nose.

The cohort included patients with non-small cell lung cancer, small-cell lung cancer, thymic cancer, and malignant pleural mesothelioma. Overall, 85% had non-small cell lung cancer, and 56% had stage IV disease. Nearly half received best supportive care alone, while others received chemotherapy, radiotherapy, chemoradiotherapy, or surgery.

Symptom and Stress Measures Improved

Among patients with symptoms before the intervention, fatigue improved in 74.1%, pain in 75.7%, cold feet in 94.4%, and heaviness of the legs or body in 100%. Less common symptoms, including insomnia, cough, loss of appetite, numbness, taste or smell disturbance, nausea, and constipation, also improved in many patients, although patient numbers were small.

Five of six subjective physical and emotional status items significantly improved after the intervention, including well-being, warmth, sluggishness, pain, and relaxation. Sleepiness improved numerically but was not statistically significant.

Objective physiologic assessments also suggested a relaxation response. Heart rate decreased significantly, while high-frequency heart rate variability, SDNN, and RMSSD increased, indicating enhanced parasympathetic activity. Salivary α-amylase and cortisol levels also fell significantly after treatment.

The authors emphasized that the study was not powered to confirm symptom efficacy and lacked a control group. Still, the findings support additional randomized research into touch care and aromatherapy as a low-burden supportive care approach for hospitalized patients with thoracic malignancies.

Reference
Tamai E et al. Feasibility and safety of combined touch care and aromatherapy in hospitalized patients with thoracic malignancies: A prospective single-arm study. Asia-Pacific Journal of Oncology Nursing. 2026;13.

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