Massage relieves nausea in women with breast cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy.
OBJECTIVE
The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of massage on nausea, anxiety, and depression in patients with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy.


METHODS
This work was a single-center, prospective, randomized, controlled trial.


METHODS
This study was conducted in an oncology clinic, in a hospital in southwestern Sweden.


METHODS
Thirty-nine (39) women (mean age = 51.8) with breast cancer undergoing chemotherapy were enrolled.


METHODS
The patients were randomly assigned to a massage therapy group (20 minutes of massage on five occasions) or a control group (five 20-minute visits).


METHODS
All patients recorded nausea and anxiety on the Visual Analogue Scale before and after each intervention. They also completed the Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale.


RESULTS
Massage treatment significantly reduced nausea compared with control treatment (p = 0.025) when improvement was measured as a percentage of the five treatment periods. Differences in anxiety and depression between the two treatment regimes could not be statistically demonstrated.


CONCLUSIONS
This study complements previous studies on the effect of massage and supports the conclusion that massage reduces nausea in these patients.
Billhult
Annika
A
Institute of Neuroscience and Physiology/Physiotherapy, The Sahlgrenska Academy at Göteborg University, Göteborg, Sweden. annika.billhult@vgregion.se
Bergbom
Ingegerd
I
Stener-Victorin
Elisabet
E
D000328:Adult; D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000009:adverse effects*; D001007:Anxiety / Q000517:prevention & control; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy; D003863:Depression / Q000517:prevention & control; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008405:Massage / Q000379:methods*; D008875:Middle Aged; D009325:Nausea / Q000139:chemically induced* / Q000517:prevention & control*; D010147:Pain Measurement; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000517:prevention & control; D013548:Sweden; D016896:Treatment Outcome; D016387:Women's Health
D000970:Antineoplastic Agents