Topical sesame oil is effective at reducing pain in patients with chemotherapy-induced phlebetis

In this study, researchers from Iran assessed the effects of topical sesame oil, particularly if it could reduce the severity of pain caused by chemotherapy-induced phlebitis (CIP). Their results were published in the journal Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice.

• CIP is one of the most common complications developed by cancer patients.
• The use of complementary methods to prevent or alleviate phlebitis symptoms has attracted great attention.
• The researchers conducted a randomized clinical trial involving 60 colorectal cancer patients with CIP.
• Half of these patients received only a five-minute massage (control group) twice a day for seven consecutive days, while the rest received a five-minute massage with 10 drops of sesame oil (experimental group) within the 10 centimeter radius of the affected site.
• The researchers evaluated the severity of pain using the visual analog scale on the first, third, fifth and seventh day of intervention.
• They reported that mean changes in pain severity recorded on the third and seventh day of intervention compared to the baseline were significant and in favor of the experimental group.
• Although both groups experienced significant reductions in pain severity, the decrease was more significant for the experimental group.

Based on these results, the researchers concluded that topical application of sesame oil is effective in reducing the severity of pain caused by CIP in cancer patients.

Journal Reference:

Shamloo MBB, Nasiri M, Maneiy M, Dorchin M, Mojab F, Bahrami H, Naseri MS, Kiarsi M. EFFECTS OF TOPICAL SESAME (SESAMUM INDICUM) OIL ON THE PAIN SEVERITY OF CHEMOTHERAPY-INDUCED PHLEBITIS IN PATIENTS WITH COLORECTAL CANCER: A RANDOMIZED CONTROLLED TRIAL. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. May 2019;35:78–85. DOI: 10.1016/j.ctcp.2019.01.016