The Role of Massage in Reducing Pain from Breast Cancer Treatments

Among women, breast cancer is the second most common cancer in the U.S., reports the CDC. It follows types of skin cancer, which are the most common. Breast cancer also is the second leading cause of cancer death among women in the country with lung cancer being the leading cause.[1] 

The number of people diagnosed with breast cancer continues to rise, according to the National Breast Cancer Foundation. The organization estimates that in the U.S. this year 382,640 women will be diagnosed with breast cancer. But there is good news. The overall risk of dying from breast cancer has declined thanks to advances in screening and treatment. Furthermore, the relative five-year survival rate is over 99 percent when the disease is caught in its earliest stages. [2]

While cancer treatment is saving lives, treatment can have temporary and long-term side effects. Most treatment plans include a combination of chemotherapy, radiation, hormone therapy, targeted therapy, and surgery. These treatments can be successful, but the effects can be both physically and emotionally debilitating.

Breast cancer treatment side effects

Pain resulting from breast cancer treatment varies. Everyone responds to treatments differently and pain intensity varies from individual to individual. Even when pain is mild it can interfere with day-to-day living and produce other side effects such as fatigue.

Causes of pain resulting from breast cancer treatment:[3]^,[4],[5]

·         Back pain may be due to hormonal therapies, chemotherapy, and targeted therapies.

·         Joint and bone pain is a common side effects of aromatase inhibitors, which is a type of drug for treating hormone-receptor positive breast cancer. Aromatase inhibitors lower the amount of estrogen in the body, which Iin turn affects the degradation of the bones and cartilage. Because joints are not well lubricated, pain may result. Joint and bone pain also may be due to chemotherapy and other medicines to treat osteoporosis and reduce bone complications if cancer has spread to the bones.

·         Chest tightness or pain may follow breast cancer surgery, breast reconstruction, or radiation,

·         Abdominal or stomach pain can result from breast cancer treatments, including chemotherapy, radiation therapy, hormone therapy, and targeted therapy

·         Muscle pain also may be due to breast cancer treatments as well as medicines used to reduce infection risk during chemotherapy or to treat osteoporosis.

·         Arm pain can stem from surgery, radiation therapy, chemotherapy, aromatase inhibitors, and targeted therapies.

Massage to relieve pain from breast 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. Massage for cancer patients is not part of a cancer treatment. It is to help with cancer symptoms and treatment side effects.

When it comes to breast cancer, approximately one-third of patients report breast pain before breast cancer surgery. However, between 60 percent and 66 percent of patients have persistent pain lasting after surgery.[6]  Several studies specifically have focused on the use of massages for breast cancer patients to reduce pain from surgery and the side effects of other breast cancer treatments. Among them.

Massage therapy and pain reduction in post-surgical breast cancer patients

In 2023, researchers conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis[7] to understand the effects of massage therapy for breast cancer patients dealing with post-surgical pain and anxiety. After searching and screening over 1200 titles, researchers chose seven studies on massage for breast cancer pain for analysis. The massage therapy techniques included massage therapy, classic massage, reflexology, myofascial release, and myofascial therapy. Patients received massage therapy day 0 up to 16 weeks post-surgery. The results indicated that early intervention of massage therapy plays a significant role in reducing pain and anxiety after surgery in breast cancer patients. Based on their findings, researchers concluded:

·         Massage therapy is a feasible non-pharmacological way to treat postoperative pain and anxiety in patients with breast cancer.

·         Massage therapy for breast cancer may be used in multiple clinical and non-clinical settings

Pain improvement after healing touch and massage in breast cancer

A breast cancer subgroup analysis[8] conducted in 2021 compared the effectiveness of healing touch versus oncology massage on pain. The study, which focused on the first session of either healing touch or oncology massage, involved 407 patients who reported pre- and posttherapy pain, including 233 who received healing touch and 174 who received oncology massage. The study involved tailoring healing touch to the needs of the individual, who received treatment – light touch or near-body touch -- in a private room with soft lighting and calming music. Oncology massage used gliding, rhythmic strokes, gentle kneading, and gentle tissues holds to meet the therapeutic needs of the patient.

Researchers concluded that both healing touch and oncology massage modalities provided clinically significant relief from pain, which provides empirical evidence for using either modality for breast cancer patients experiencing pain.

Studies such as these point to the value of massage therapy for patients to reduce pain following surgery and other breast cancer treatments

 

 

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