Massage modalities and symptoms reported by cancer patients: narrative review

Authors: Myers Cynthia D, Walton Tracy, Bratsman Lindsay, Wilson Jennifer, Small BrentJournal: Journal of the Society for Integrative OncologyPublished: January 1, 2008

Limited EvidenceSystematic Review

Cancer Pain Management Anxiety Nausea Depression

In Plain Language: cancer pain, explained

The results of several studies on the use of massage therapies for cancer patients have been published in the peer-reviewed literature over the past 20 years. The current article provides a summary and critique of published studies in which patient-reported symptom ratings were assessed in relation to massage. Twenty-two studies are discussed. Most studies were on Swedish massage, followed by aromatherapy massage, foot reflexology, and acupressure. Symptoms assessed as outcomes included pain, fatigue, anxiety, nausea, and depression. Study designs included uncontrolled observational studies, crossover designs, and quasiexperimental and randomized controlled studies. Several studies included methodologic limitations such as small sample sizes, lack of blinded assessment, lack of accounting for subject attrition in statistical analyses, and other limitations. The results of the studies reviewed are mixed and vary as a function of several study characteristics. The most consistent symptom reduction was anxiety reduction. Additional well-designed studies are needed. Several recommendations are offered for future studies.

Key Findings: what this systematic review found about cancer pain

✓Massage therapies have been studied for treating multiple cancer-related symptoms including pain, fatigue, anxiety, nausea, and depression over the past 20 years.
✓Swedish massage was the most frequently studied massage modality, followed by aromatherapy massage, foot reflexology, and acupressure.
✓Many studies examining massage for cancer patients had methodologic limitations including small sample sizes, lack of blinded assessment, and inadequate statistical accounting for subject attrition, resulting in mixed and inconsistent findings.

What This Means for You

While massage shows promise for anxiety relief in cancer care, the evidence is still developing and more high-quality research is needed before making strong claims about its effectiveness for other symptoms.

What This Means for Practitioners

Anxiety reduction appears to be the most evidence-supported benefit of massage for cancer patients, so emphasizing this outcome while acknowledging the need for larger, well-designed studies will maintain credibility with clients.

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Cancer pain: common questions

What does this study say about cancer pain?

What did this study find?

Massage therapies have been studied for treating multiple cancer-related symptoms including pain, fatigue, anxiety, nausea, and depression over the past 20 years. Swedish massage was the most frequently studied massage modality, followed by aromatherapy massage, foot reflexology, and acupressure. Many studies examining massage for cancer patients had methodologic limitations including small sample sizes, lack of blinded assessment, and inadequate statistical accounting for subject attrition, resulting in mixed and inconsistent findings.

How strong is this evidence?

This is a systematic review and we rate its evidence limited. It was published in Journal of the Society for Integrative Oncology. This study is indexed here for context; it did not test reflexology itself.