 Massage therapy for cancer palliation and supportive care - a systematic review of randomised clinical trials..pdf | [Massage therapy for cancer palliation and supportive care: a systematic review of randomised clinical trials.] | 97 kB |
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Support Care Cancer. 2009 Apr;17(4):333-7. Epub 2009 Jan 13. PMID: 19148685
Complementary Medicine, Peninsula Medical School, Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, 25 Victoria Park Road, Exeter EX2 4NT, UK. This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
INTRODUCTION: Massage is a popular adjunct to cancer palliation. This systematic review is aimed at critically evaluating all available randomised clinical trials of massage in cancer palliation. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Six databases were searched to identify all trials of classical massage for cancer patients. Studies of other types of massage, e.g. reflexology, aromatherapy, were excluded. Fourteen trials met all inclusion criteria. DISCUSSION: Collectively, they suggest that massage can alleviate a wide range of symptoms: pain, nausea, anxiety, depression, anger, stress and fatigue. However, the methodological quality of the included studies was poor, a fact that prevents definitive conclusions. CONCLUSION: The evidence is, therefore, encouraging but not compelling. The subject seems to warrant further investigations which avoid the limitations of previous studies.
