Campeau, M.P., Gaboriault, R., Drapeau, M., Van Nguyen, T., Roy, I., Fortin, B., . . . Nguyen-Tan, P.F. (2007). Impact of massage therapy on anxiety levels in patients undergoing radiation therapy: Randomized controlled trial. Journal of the Society for Integrative Oncology, 5(4), 133–138.
To assess the impact of massage therapy on intermediate-term anxiety in patients undergoing radiation therapy
Patients were randomized to massage therapy and control groups. Patients in the massage therapy group rated anxiety before and after massage sessions, and control patients rated their anxiety 15 minutes before radiation treatment. All massage sessions took place before the radiation treatment over 10 consecutive days. Massage consisted of a 15-minute chair massage with a combination of effleurage and petrissage. Patients did not disrobe for the therapy, and no lotion was used. Massage therapists participated in a training course specifically targeting the care of patients with cancer. All therapy was standardized, but was adapted as necessary to avoid any massage to the treatment field. The massage therapist assessed anxiety in all patients using a visual analog scale (VAS) every day during the study.
Active treatment phase
A randomized controlled trial design was used.
The mean VAS score before massage was 4.0 and after massage was 2.2, which was a 45% decrease in anxiety (p < 0.001). Patients in the massage group showed a 15% decrease in anxiety scores from the first to the last session, and patients in the control group experienced a 19% decrease over the same time interval. Both groups had similar scores for state and trait anxiety at baseline. There were no differences in state anxiety between groups at the last session, indicating no intermediate effects on anxiety. VAS scores declined over time for both groups.
Massage therapy as used in this study was associated with a significant immediate reduction in anxiety, but appears to have little or no effect on intermediate-term anxiety. Anxiety over the course of radiation treatment declined for both groups.
Findings suggest that a brief chair massage can be effective for immediate reduction in anxiety, and this may be helpful for certain patients who are very anxious in beginning treatments. Because anxiety in all patients declined over time, and all subjects were seen by a massage therapist prior to each treatment, it may suggest that regular attention to anxiety in interaction with patients may be helpful for anxiety reduction over the course of treatment. This is an area that could be studied. The length and type of massage could influence findings, suggesting that further research in this area should incorporate evaluation of various types and duration of massage.