Evaluating the Feasibility and Acceptability of Inhalation Aromatherapy for Patients Undergoing Autologous Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant (HSCT)

NCT07209501 | Enrolling By Invitation

• 2 other identifiers: 2024-35512024AMII-Aug03
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 30
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

The goal of this clinical trial is to evaluate whether aromatherapy inhaler sticks can reduce nausea and vomiting in patients receiving chemotherapy as part of their stem cell transplant treatment. The main questions it aims to answer are:

• Can aromatherapy inhaler sticks be practically used by patients undergoing stem cell transplant (feasibility)?
• Do patients find aromatherapy inhaler sticks acceptable to use during their treatment?
• How effective are aromatherapy inhaler sticks at reducing chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting?
• What are patients' experiences when using aromatherapy during stem cell transplant? Researchers will compare patients using aromatherapy inhaler sticks with essential oils to patients using inhaler sticks with only jojoba oil (placebo) to see if the essential oils provide additional benefits for reducing nausea and vomiting. Participants will:
• Use their assigned inhaler stick every four hours when awake and whenever they feel nauseous
• Hold the inhaler stick a finger's length from their nostrils and inhale through one nostril at a time
• Use the inhaler stick for no more than 5 minutes per session
• Begin using the inhaler on the day of chemotherapy and continue until five days after chemotherapy completion (total of six days)
• Receive standard care for nausea and vomiting alongside the inhaler stick
• Complete study journals to record their experiences This is a single-blinded study, meaning participants will not know whether they received the aromatherapy or placebo inhaler stick.

Conditions

Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting (CINV)

Keywords

aromatherapy; Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting; Autologous Haematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (5)

• Recruitment Rate

  Percentage of eligible patients who consent to join the study will be measured to evaluate the feasibility of using inhalation aromatherapy to reduce chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) for patients undergoing haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT)

  From commencement of study (Day 1) to the end of treatment (Day 6)

• Retention Rate

  Percentage of participants who complete the study will be measured to evaluate the feasibility of using inhalation aromatherapy to reduce chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) for patients undergoing haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT)

  From commencement of study (Day 1) to the end of treatment (Day 6)

• Adherence rate

  Percentage of participants in the intervention group who use the inhaler stick as instructed measured to evaluate the feasibility of using inhalation aromatherapy to reduce chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) for patients undergoing haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT)

  From commencement of study (Day 1) to the end of treatment (Day 6)

• Patient-reported satisfaction

  Measured through Likert-scale items at the end of the study to evaluate the acceptability of using inhalation aromatherapy to reduce chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) for patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT). The Feasibility of intervention Likert-scale and the Acceptability of intervention Liker-scale will be used. The Likert-scale consist of a rating of 1- 5 where 1 is strongly disagree and 5 is strongly agree and to be rated by participants.

  From commencement of study (Day 1) to the end of treatment (Day 6)

• Perceptions and Overall Experience

  Qualitative insights from semi-structured interviews on ease of use, perceived helpfulness and overall experience to evaluate acceptability of using inhalation aromatherapy to reduce chemotherapy-induced nausea and vomiting (CINV) for patients undergoing haematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT)

  From commencement of study (Day 1) to the end of treatment (Day 6)

Secondary Outcomes (5)

• Severity of Nausea

  From commencement of study (Day 1) to the end of treatment (Day 6)

• Frequency of Vomiting

  From commencement of study (Day 1) to the end of treatment (Day 6)

• Use of Rescue Anti-Emetics

  From commencement of study (Day 1) to the end of treatment (Day 6)

• Oral Intake

  From commencement of study (Day 1) to end of treatment (Day 6)

• Grading of Chemotherapy-Induced Nausea and Vomiting (CINV)

  From commencement of study (Day 1) to end of treatment (Day 6)

Study Arms (2)

Control Group

PLACEBO COMPARATOR

Participants in the control group will receive the placebo intervention in addition to standard care. Participants will be provided with an identical aromatherapy inhaler stick infused solely with jojoba oil. Jojoba oil, primarily used as a carrier oil for dilution, has little to- no scent and no known therapeutic or anxiolytic effects when inhaled. This ensures that any potential benefits observed in the intervention group can be attributed to the active essential oil blends rather than the inhalation process itself.

Other: Aromatherapy inhaler (placebo)

Intervention group

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Participants in the intervention group will receive inhalation therapy via an aromatherapy inhaler stick\*, on top of standard care. Participants will be instructed to use the inhaler stick every four hours when they are awake, and whenever they feel nauseous, by holding the inhaler stick a finger's length away from their nostrils and inhaling through one nostril at a time. Each administration should not last more than 5 minutes. Participants will commence using the inhaler stick on the day of chemotherapy, until five days after the completion of chemotherapy (a total of six days).

Other: Aromatherapy inhaler

Interventions

Aromatherapy inhaler OTHER

Participants in the intervention group will receive inhalation therapy via an aromatherapy inhaler stick\*, on top of standard care. Participants will be instructed to use the inhaler stick every four hours when they are awake, and whenever they feel nauseous, by holding the inhaler stick a finger's length away from their nostrils and inhaling through one nostril at a time. Each inhaler administration should not last more than 5 minutes. Participants will commence using the inhaler stick on the day of chemotherapy, until five days after the completion of chemotherapy (total of six days). Given the subjective nature of scents, participants in the intervention group will be given a choice between two therapeutic aroma blends - N1 and N2 - before commencing the study. This approach aims to minimize the risk of negative associations with a particular scent and enhance participant adherence to the intervention.

Intervention group

Aromatherapy inhaler (placebo) OTHER

Participants in the control group will receive the placebo intervention in addition to standard care. They will be provided with an identical aromatherapy inhaler stick infused solely with jojoba oil. Jojoba oil, primarily used as a carrier oil for dilution, has littleto- no scent and no known therapeutic or anxiolytic effects when inhaled.

Control Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 21 Years - 99 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: No
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• At least 21 years and older
• Able to provide informed consent
• Admitted for autologous stem cell transplant receiving melphalan conditioning chemotherapy regime
• Willing to have interviews audio-recorded

You may not qualify if:

• Currently using essential oils of any form (e.g. diffuser, topical application,
• Known sensitivity/ allergy to essential oils
• Any olfactory impairments (i.e. conditions that impair or alter sense of smell - for example, allergic rhinitis, chronic lung disease, blocked nose)

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Singapore General Hospital: lead
• National Cancer Centre, Singapore: collaborator

Study Sites (1)

Singapore General Hospital

Singapore, 169608, Singapore

Location

MeSH Terms

Conditions

Vomiting

Condition Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Signs and Symptoms, Digestive; Signs and Symptoms; Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms

Study Officials

• Cheryl Tay, Bachelor of Nursing

  Singapore General Hospital

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: RANDOMIZED
• Masking: SINGLE
• Who Masked: PARTICIPANT
• Purpose: SUPPORTIVE CARE
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: SPONSOR

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: October 2, 2025
• First Posted: October 7, 2025
• Study Start: May 15, 2025
• Primary Completion (Estimated): June 23, 2026
• Study Completion (Estimated): June 24, 2026
• Last Updated: December 22, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-12

Locations

SG (1)