Effects of Aromatherapy with Lavender and Peppermint Essential Oil on Taxane-Induced Peripheral Neuropathy in Patients with Breast cancer: A Randomized Clinical Trial

Abstract

Taxane-based chemotherapy is commonly used in the treatment of various solid tumors. Chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) remains a common and debilitating side effect of taxanes, with limited effective treatments. Aromatherapy has been suggested as a non-pharmacological approach to relieve CIPN symptoms. This randomized controlled clinical trial investigated the effects of aromatherapy using lavender and peppermint essential oils (LPEO) on managing CIPN symptoms in women with breast cancer who received taxane-based chemotherapy. This parallel-group randomized placebo-controlled clinical trial was prospectively registered in the Iranian Registry of Clinical Trials (IRCT20230407057835N1). Thirty-four participants with clinically confirmed CIPN were randomly assigned to either the intervention group, which received topical LPEO, or to a control group that received a placebo. The oils were applied twice daily to the feet and hands for a period of four weeks. The modified Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy/Gynecologic Oncology Group-Neurotoxicity (FACT/GOG-NTx) questionnaire evaluated symptom severity, including pain, numbness, and tingling, on a 10-point scale. SPSS 23 software was used for statistical analysis. The intervention group showed significant reductions in pain (from 3.52 ± 2.71 to 2.41 ± 1.73, p = 0.020), numbness (from 6.29 ± 2.17 to 4.41 ± 2.23, p = 0.0003), and tingling (from 5.70 ± 2.88 to 3.76 ± 2.46, p = 0.004) compared to the control group, which did not exhibit significant changes in these symptoms, except for a slight decrease in pain (1.66 ± 0.90 to 1.33 ± 0.84, p = 0.009). No adverse events related to the essential oils were reported. These findings suggest aromatherapy, with topical LPEO, is a safe and effective complementary approach for the alleviation of sensory symptoms of taxane-induced peripheral neuropathy in patients with breast cancer.