Meta-Analysis of Massage Therapy on Cancer Pain
Strong EvidenceIn Plain Language: cancer pain, explained
Cancer pain is the most common complaint among patients with cancer. Conventional treatment does not always relieve cancer pain satisfactorily. Therefore, many patients with cancer have turned to complementary therapies to help them with their physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Massage therapy is increasingly used for symptom relief in patients with cancer. The current study aimed to investigate by meta-analysis the effects of massage therapy for cancer patients experiencing pain. Nine electronic databases were systematically searched for studies published through August 2013 in English, Chinese, and Korean. Methodological quality was assessed using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) and Cochrane risk-of-bias scales. Twelve studies, including 559 participants, were used in the meta-analysis. In 9 high-quality studies based on the PEDro scale (standardized mean difference, -1.24; 95% confidence interval, -1.72 to -0.75), we observed reduction in cancer pain after massage. Massage therapy significantly reduced cancer pain compared with no massage treatment or conventional care (standardized mean difference, -1.25; 95% confidence interval, -1.63 to -0.87). Our results indicate that massage is effective for the relief of cancer pain, especially for surgery-related pain. Among the various types of massage, foot reflexology appeared to be more effective than body or aroma massage. Our meta-analysis indicated a beneficial effect of massage for relief of cancer pain. Further well-designed, large studies with longer follow-up periods are needed to be able to draw firmer conclusions regarding the effectiveness.
Key Findings: what this meta-analysis found about cancer pain
- ✓A meta-analysis of 12 studies with 559 participants found that massage therapy significantly reduced cancer pain, with high-quality studies showing a standardized mean difference of -1.24.
- ✓Massage therapy is increasingly being used as a complementary therapy by cancer patients to address physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being when conventional pain treatments are insufficient.
- ✓The systematic review searched nine electronic databases for studies published through August 2013 across multiple languages (English, Chinese, and Korean) to assess the effects of massage therapy on cancer-related pain.
What This Means for You
If you have cancer pain, massage therapy—particularly foot reflexology—shows strong evidence for reducing pain, though it works best alongside conventional treatment rather than as a replacement.
What This Means for Practitioners
Foot reflexology demonstrated superior pain-relief outcomes compared to other massage modalities in cancer patients, supporting its use as a complementary therapy in oncology settings.
Study Design: how this meta-analysis was run
Cancer pain: common questions
What does this study say about cancer pain?
If you have cancer pain, massage therapy—particularly foot reflexology—shows strong evidence for reducing pain, though it works best alongside conventional treatment rather than as a replacement.
What did this study find?
A meta-analysis of 12 studies with 559 participants found that massage therapy significantly reduced cancer pain, with high-quality studies showing a standardized mean difference of -1.24. Massage therapy is increasingly being used as a complementary therapy by cancer patients to address physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being when conventional pain treatments are insufficient. The systematic review searched nine electronic databases for studies published through August 2013 across multiple languages (English, Chinese, and Korean) to assess the effects of massage therapy on cancer-related pain.
How strong is this evidence?
This is a meta-analysis and we rate its evidence strong. It covers 559 participants. It was published in Integrative cancer therapies, a Q2 journal. This study is indexed here for context; it did not test reflexology itself.
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