Oncology Massage: What Research Tells Us

·         Massage for cancer

·         Massage for cancer patients

·         Oncology massage

Facebook: Globally cases of cancer are expected to grow significantly over the next 25 years. However, there are significant technological developments that are making it easier to detect cancer sooner. For those who develop the disease, oncology massage has been shown to help reduce pain and other cancer symptoms and improve quality of life. Read about several research studies that have found how oncology massage helps with cancer symptoms and treatment side effects.

Meta description: Discover the benefits of oncology massage for cancer patients, including pain relief, reduction of treatment symptoms and improved quality of life.

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Oncology Massage: What Research Tells Us (January 23, 2026)

Globally, cancer is a leading cause of death, resulting in the loss of live in round ten million people each year. That figure comes from the World Economic Forum (WEF), which forecasts that the number of new cases of cancer will grow by more than 75 percent between 2022 and 2050.[1]

Despite the grim outlook for loss of life, the WEF points to significant developments using emerging technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI) and DNA sequencing in the battle against cancer. Examples are:[2]

·         A test developed by US researchers to identify 18 early-stage cancers. The tests work by analyzing the blood protein of a patient.  The test correctly identified 93 percent of stage 1 cancers in men and 85 percent in women in a screening of 440 people already diagnosed with cancer.

·         In India partners of the WEF are using emerging technologies like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning to transform cancer care. As an example, AI-based risk profiling can help screen for cancers, such as breast cancer, leading to early diagnosis. AI could also be used to analyze X-rays to find cancers in places where experts in imaging might not be available.

·         An AI learning model developed by MIT scientists can predict the likelihood of someone developing lung cancer up to six years in advance.

·         At Cambridge University Hospitals in England, by analyzing genomic data, oncologists are identifying different causes causing mutations -- such as exposure to smoking or UV light -- that have contributed to the cancer tumors of 12,000 patients.

Role of oncology massage in cancer treatment

Alongside the continuing progress in cancer research and treatments is a growing understanding of the benefits of massage for cancer patients as part of an integrative care plan. Many cancer centers now offer oncology massage as a complementary cancer treatment. Massage for cancer patients is not used as part of a cancer treatment but to help with cancer symptoms and treatment side effects.

Oncology massage aims to nourish the body as well as the mind and spirit. The benefits include: [3]

·         Improved quality of life

·         Reduced anxiety

·         Pain management help

·         Improved sleep quality

·         Reduced fatigue

·         Reduced unpleasant sensation from chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN)

·         Increased function in areas affected by scar tissue that results from surgery and radiation

·        Reduced post-surgical swelling and support for rehabilitation and recovery

·        Lymph system support and assistance managing lymphedema

·        Improved body awareness and image

Research supports massage for cancer benefits

Recent studies support various ways massage therapy can reduce symptoms and make an important difference for cancer patients. Among the studies:

Pain relief

A study in 2018 established and compared the effectiveness of healing touch and oncology massage therapies on cancer patients’ pain. Healing touch is biofield therapy energy medicine practice that aims to restore and balance energy impacted by stress, illness, injury, grief, various medical procedures, and cancer treatments.

The study included 291 patients receiving healing touch and 281 receiving oncology massage who reported pretherapy and post-therapy pain. The study found that both healing touch and oncology massage provided immediate pain relief. Future research should explore the length of pain relief, what patients thought about healing touch compared with oncology massage, and how patient attitudes may differ based on pretherapy pain levels, according to researchers.^[4]

Reducing nausea

Nausea and vomiting are common side effects of chemotherapy. Research indicates that massage for cancer can play a role in providing relief from these symptoms. A 2018 quasi-randomized controlled pilot study evaluated the feasibility and preliminary effects of massage and inhalation aromatherapy on chemotherapy-induced acute nausea/vomiting.

The pilot study included seventy-five breast cancer patients randomly grouped into one of three groups: massage, inhalation, and control. The massage group received 20-minute aromatherapy foot massages. The inhalation group received three-minute inhalation aromatherapy before their second, third and fourth chemotherapy cycles. The control group only received routine treatment.

The study found that the incidence of nausea and retching was significantly higher in the third and fourth chemotherapy cycles in the control group than in the other groups. Also, in these two cycles, the occurrences of nausea and retching incidences were significantly lower in the massage group than in the inhalation group. In all three cycles, the massage and inhalation aromatherapy groups experienced less severe nausea than the control group. ^[5]

Easing fatigue

Fatigue after cancer is common. While non-life-threatening, fatigue can be debilitating. It can persist for years even after treatment ends. A 2018 study by the Emory University School of Medicine compared the effects of six weeks of once-weekly Swedish massage therapy on cancer-related fatigue in breast cancer survivors against an active control condition (light touch) and wait-list control (on a waiting list to receive experimental treatment). Swedish massage therapy resulted in clinically significant relief in cancer-related fatigue. This finding suggests that six weeks of a safe, widely accepted manual intervention causes a significant reduction in fatigue, a debilitating consequence for cancer survivors.^[6]

Alleviating Lymphedema

One of the most common conditions that develops from cancer treatment is lymphedema, which causes swelling in the arms and legs that can cause pain. Lymphatic buildup affects around one in five females after treatment for breast cancer.^[7] Lymphatic massage reduces the flow of lymph fluid to help reduce swelling. Massaging an area without swelling makes space for fluid to flow there from more congested areas.

Helping to prevent neuropathy

The chemotherapy drug paclitaxel can cause neuropathic pain. In a study conducted in 2019, 40 female breast cancer patients were randomly allocated to a classical massage group (CMG) or the control group (CG) who received only usual care. The peripheral neuropathic pain was lower in CMG compared to the CG at week 12. The study suggested that classical massage successfully prevented chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathic pain, improved quality of life and showed beneficial effects on the nerve conduction study findings.^[8]

Types of massage for cancer

About which types of massage for cancer are best, benefits can vary. Common forms include^[9]

• Swedish massage
• Aromatherapy massage
• Classical massage
• Myofascial massage
• Anma therapy (Japanese massage therapy)

Deep Tissue Massage usually is not used during active treatment of the disease. However it may help with chronic pain and limited motion, which results from scar tissue formation, on the completion of cancer treatment.

Research findings to date indicate that there are significant ways in massage therapy can benefit cancer patients during treatment and after.