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Meta-Analysis of Massage Therapy on Cancer Pain
Sook-Hyun Lee1, Jong-Yeop Kim1, Sujung Yeo1
1College of Korean Medicine, Kyung Hee University, Seoul, Republic of Korea.
Integrative Cancer Therapies
|March 19, 2015
Summary
Massage therapy effectively reduces cancer pain, offering relief when conventional treatments fall short. Foot reflexology shows particular promise for managing pain in cancer patients.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Pain Management
- Complementary Therapies
Background:
- Cancer pain is a prevalent issue, often inadequately managed by conventional treatments.
- Patients increasingly seek complementary therapies for holistic well-being.
- Massage therapy is a growing option for symptom management in cancer care.
Purpose of the Study:
- To conduct a meta-analysis evaluating the efficacy of massage therapy for cancer pain relief.
- To synthesize evidence from existing studies on massage interventions for cancer patients.
Main Methods:
- Systematic search of nine electronic databases (English, Chinese, Korean) through August 2013.
- Inclusion of twelve studies with 559 participants.
- Assessment of methodological quality using Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) and Cochrane risk-of-bias tools.
Main Results:
- High-quality studies (n=9) showed significant cancer pain reduction after massage (SMD, -1.24).
- Massage therapy demonstrated greater efficacy than no treatment or conventional care (SMD, -1.25).
- Foot reflexology was more effective than body or aroma massage for pain relief.
Conclusions:
- Massage therapy is an effective intervention for relieving cancer pain, particularly post-surgery.
- Foot reflexology emerges as a highly effective massage modality for cancer pain.
- Further large-scale, well-designed studies are recommended to solidify conclusions.
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