Efeito da aromaterapia na redução do sintoma de ansiedade em mulheres com câncer de mama: uma revisão sistemática

Abstract

Cancer is among the chronic non-communicable diseases in the world, being considered a public health problem. Among the types of cancers, breast cancer in the female population stands out, as it is the second with the highest incidence globally. The etiology of breast cancer is multifactorial and, during treatment, several symptoms can impact and debilitate patients, such as anxiety and changes in quality of life. Anxiety is characterized as a vague and uncomfortable feeling of discomfort or fear, which is configured as a feeling of apprehension caused by the anticipation of danger. Thus, the introduction of complementary resources, such as the use of aromatherapy, in the control of psychological symptoms, such as apprehension, fear, anxiety, restlessness, insomnia, among others, becomes a possibility to support conventional therapy, as it is a natural, safe practice. , holistic and humanized. This study aimed to evaluate the effect of aromatherapy on anxiety symptoms in women in breast cancer treatment. This is a systematic review that used the PICOS search strategy, and was carried out in the electronic databases Cinahl/Ebsco, Cochrane Library, Embase, Lilacs/VHL, Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicines/Bvs, Pubmed/Medline and Scopus Web of Science, as well as Traditional, Complementary and Integrative Medicines/ BVS, Proquest, Open gray, Clinicaltrials.Gov, NCI, Rebec, Database of Theses and Dissertations and Brazilian Digital Library of Theses and Dissertations, without date and language restrictions. Eligibility assessment and data extraction were performed independently by two reviewers. The critical analysis of the feasibility and validity of the studies took place according to the Cochrane Handbook for Systematic Reviews of Interventions. The sample consisted of seven studies. Aromatherapy was applied by inhalation (57.1%) and with massage (42.8%), and adopted alone or in conjunction with other interventions, demonstrating a reduction in anxiety symptoms in 71.4% of the studies. The predominance of essential oils Lavender, Bergamot, Frankincense and Sandalwood is highlighted, due to their anxiolytic, relaxing, calming, sedative, invigorating, antidepressant and muscle tension reducing effects. It is concluded that aromatherapy showed positive and significant results in reducing anxiety symptoms in women being treated for breast cancer.