A prospective single-arm feasibility study of 87 hospitalized patients with thoracic malignancies found that a combined 20-minute foot touch care and aromatherapy intervention was feasible and generally safe, with all participants completing the treatment and no worsening of preexisting symptoms. The trial, reported by Tamai et al. in the Asia‑Pacific Journal of Oncology Nursing (2026;13), supports further investigation of this low-burden supportive care approach.
The intervention paired gentle foot touch care with aromatherapy provided via an aroma bead sachet placed on the patient’s chest; the essential oil was not applied to skin to lower the risk of irritation in patients receiving chemotherapy, radiotherapy, or best supportive care. The design emphasized safety and patient comfort.
Safety outcomes were favorable: all 87 evaluable patients completed the session, and intervention-related adverse events or discomfort occurred in five patients (5.7%), all of which were minor. One patient experienced Grade 1 fatigue and four reported aroma-related discomfort; these issues were managed without discontinuing treatment, for example by repositioning the sachet farther from the nose.
The cohort included patients with non‑small cell lung cancer (85% of the group), small‑cell lung cancer, thymic cancer, and malignant pleural mesothelioma; 56% had stage IV disease. Nearly half received best supportive care alone, while others underwent chemotherapy, radiotherapy, chemoradiotherapy, or surgery.
Among patients who reported symptoms before the intervention, improvements were commonly observed: fatigue improved in 74.1%, pain in 75.7%, cold feet in 94.4%, and heaviness of the legs or body in 100% of affected patients. Less frequent symptoms-insomnia, cough, appetite loss, numbness, taste or smell disturbance, nausea, and constipation-also improved for many, though subgroup sizes were small.
Subjective measures showed significant gains in five of six physical and emotional items, including well‑being, warmth, sluggishness, pain, and relaxation; sleepiness improved numerically but not significantly. Objective physiologic markers suggested a relaxation response: heart rate fell significantly while high‑frequency heart rate variability, SDNN, and RMSSD increased, and salivary α‑amylase and cortisol levels decreased after treatment.
The authors caution that the single‑arm design and sample size limit efficacy conclusions and that randomized controlled trials are needed to confirm benefits. Nonetheless, these findings indicate that touch care combined with aromatherapy is a practicable, low‑burden supportive option worthy of further study in hospitalized patients with thoracic cancers.
Original Source: https://www.emjreviews.com/oncology/news/touch-care-and-aromatherapy-show-cancer-care-promise/
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Publish Date: 2026-07-03 14:18:00
