Oncology Massage Research

Research

There is ongoing  research in the field  regarding of the benefits of massage therapy with manual therapy.  (Massage) Research suggests that massage therapy may be helpful for common symptoms and side effects of cancer, including pain, anxiety, fatigue, nausea and depression.  Of these, some of the strongest research support is for relief of pain and anxiety.   Below you will find a variety of links related to all levels of research beginning with a case study to Meta –Analysis.

1 . Case Study

Chemotherapy- induced neuropathy (CIPN) symptoms reduced in one patient from grade 2 to grade 1, improved quality of life.

2. Case Series

Drops in all 5 symptoms after singe session (1290 in & outpatients) Pain, Nausea,Fatigue, Anxiety, Depression

3. RCT-Randomized Clinical Trial

  • Effects of massage on pain,mood status,relaxation and sleep in Taiwanese patients with metastatic bone pain.Pain 152(2011) 2432-2442

“In this investigation, MT was shown to have beneficial within-or between -subjects effects on pain, mood, muscle relaxation and sleep quality….that massage resulted in a linear  trend of improvements in mood and relaxation over time.

4. Systematic review

… “The evidence indicates that massage therapy is useful as a supportive measure for treating symptoms of breast cancer.”

5. Meta-Analysis

“Massage therapy significantly reduced cancer pain compared with no massage treatment or conventional care.”…