The Benefits of Massage for Cancer Patients

This year, more than two million new cases of cancer will be diagnosed in the Unites States, according to the American Cancer Society. The estimate of 2,041,901 cases works out to be about 5600 new cases each day. The figure includes 1,053,240 cancer cases in men and 988, 660 cases in women. [1]

Despite the significant number of projected cases of cancer, the good news is that thanks to early detection and treatment, more people are surviving cancer than ever before, reports the American Association of Cancer Research (AACR). In its 12^th edition of its annual Cancer Progress report issued in September 2022, the AACR noted that the number of children and adults living with a history of cancer exceeded a record 18 million in January 2022. [2]

The survival rate can be attributed to progress in cancer research. Also, traditional treatments, including surgery, radiation and chemotherapy have had significant success, although the side effects can seriously impair a patient’s strength and vitality.

Research supports massage for cancer benefits

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.

Massage has proven its effectiveness in helping people relax and lower their anxiety. Massage for cancer can improve the quality of life for someone with the disease in several additional ways, according to research.

Pain relief

Oncology massage, a specialized form of massage therapy for cancer patients, including those in treatment, recovery or at the end of life, may help to reduce pain or reduce the amount of medication that cancer patients may need. It also may help with pain due to surgery. Massage has been found to increase the release of endorphins. An increased level of endorphins is associated with reducing pain and increasing a general feeling of well-being.

A study was conducted in 2018 to establish and compare the effectiveness of healing touch and oncology massage therapies on patients’ pain. The study included 291 patients receiving oncology massage reported pretherapy and post-therapy pain. The conclusion was that both healing touch and oncology massage provided immediate pain relief. Researchers advised that future research should explore the duration of pain relief, patient attitudes about healing touch compared with oncology massage, and how this may differ among patients with varied pretherapy pain levels.[3]

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 75 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.  In addition, in these two cycles, the incidence of nausea and retching was significantly lower in the massage group than in the inhalation group. Nausea severity was significantly lower in the massage and inhalation aromatherapy groups than in the control groups in all three cycles. [4]

Helping lift depression

It is common to experience depression when dealing with cancer, even after surviving the diseases. Some research indicates that massage for cancer may help patients experiencing depression and mood disorders. In 2020, researchers conducted a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials of massage therapy in depressed people. The analysis included 17 studies containing 786 people from 246 retrieved references. All trials showed the positive effect of massage on depressed individuals. However, researchers suggested further studies be conducted using standard massage therapy protocols, various depression rating scales and target populations. [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. 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. It 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, sometimes called manual lymphatic drainage, aims to reduce the flow of lymph fluid to help reduce swelling.

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 the classical massage group (CMG) or the control group (CG) who received only usual care. 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 is not usually used during the 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.

From research conducted so far, it appears that massage therapy can benefit cancer patients during treatment and after in several significant ways.