Table 1.
Summary of massage therapy studies
| Reference | Sample | Intervention details | Results | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Cancer type and stage | Age, sex, and sample size | Cancer treatment and sleep disorder status | Description | Duration and frequency | Pre | Post | |
| Jane et al. 2011 [28], Taoyuan, Taiwan | Mixed cancer type, stage 4 patients with metastatic bone cancer |
50.1 ± 11.5 yr (15 M, 21 F) |
Cancer treatment: completed primary treatment, with 56% under palliative care; sleep disorder: not stated | Effleurage, light petrissage, compression, and nerve stroke to total body, provided by cancer nurses with 3 months of massage training. | 45 min for 3 days |
RCSQ (T1): 22.1 ± 15.1 |
RCSQ (T3): 32.8 ± 11.4# |
|
49.7 ± 9.7 yr (15 M, 21 F) |
Social attention encouraging participants to express feelings or concerns about admission involving the presence of a caring therapist |
RCSQ (T1): 25.1 ± 13.6 |
RCSQ (T3): 30.2 ± 14.4 |
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| Toth et al. 2013 [25], Boston, USA | Mixed (stage 4) patients with metastatic cancer |
54.9 ± 12 yr (3 M, 17 F) |
Cancer treatment: not stated; Sleep disorder: not stated. |
Swedish and non-Swedish massage techniques including gliding/effleurage, light petrissage, compression, and nerve stroke to non-metastatic areas provided by professional massage therapists | 15–45 min/day, 3 daysa week for 1 week |
RCSQ CS (1 week): − 3.5 (− 9, 0) RCSQ CS (1 month): − 4 (− 12, 0) |
|
|
54.9 ± 10 yr (1 M, 9 F) |
No-touch control provided by professional massage therapists with hands 12 in. (30 cm) above participants but with no healing intention |
RCSQ CS (1 week): 0 (− 7, 9) RCSQ CS (1 month): 0 (− 12, 10) |
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|
55.6 ± 9 yr (3 M, 6 F) |
Usual care participants received no visits from massage therapists |
RCSQ CS (1 week): − 0.5 (− 4, 1) RCSQ CS (1 month): 0 (− 15, 12) |
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| Jacobs et al. 2016 [27], Washington, USA | Mixed type and stage with at least 4 days of hospitalization |
15.5 ± 2.6 yr (12 M, 4 F) |
Cancer treatment: 70% receiving chemotherapy. Sleep disorder: not stated. |
Swedish massage of the total body by massage therapists | 20–30 min/day for 2–3 days |
Pre- (outcome mean) SMN: 366 SEN: 59 WM: 259 WE :18 LSE: 11 24SM: 391 24SE: 13 |
Post- (outcome mean) SMN: 419 SEN: 64 WM: 258 WE: 19 LSE: 12* 24SM: 444 24SE: 17 |
|
16 ± 2.5 yr (12 M, 6 F) |
Usual care received no special treatment other than the primary chemotherapy treatment. |
SMN: 379 SEN: 63 WM: 247 WE: 20 LSE: 13 24SM: 431 24SE: 18 |
SMN: 365 SEN: 67 WM: 194 WE: 16 LSE :11 24SM: 401 24SE: 16 |
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| Miladina et al. 2017 [26], Alwaz, Iran | Acute leukemia undergoing chemotherapy |
33.9 ± 9.6 yr (16 M, 14 F) |
Cancer treatment: chemotherapy; Sleep disorder: ≥ 3 on Numerical Rating Scale and > 5 on PSQI |
Slow-stroke back massage involving circular, sweeping hand strokes extending from the skull to sacrum by oncology nurses with 4 months of massage training. | 10 min/day, 3 days a week for 4 weeks |
PSQI Pre: 12.23 ± 3.75 |
PSQI Post: 9.70 ± 3.27* |
|
35.1 ± 9.6 yr (15 M, 15 F) |
Usual care routine nursing and medical care | 12.10 ± 3.45 | 12.37 ± 3.43 | ||||
CS change score, F females, LSE long sleep episodes at nighttime, M males, PSQI Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index, RCSQ Richards-Campbell Sleep Questionnaire, SEN sleep efficiency at nighttime, SMN sleeping minutes at nighttime, t1 first session, t3 third session, WE wake episodes during sleep at nighttime, WM wake min after sleep onset at nighttime, yr years, 24SE long sleep episodes through whole day, 24SM sleeping minutes through the whole day
*Statistically significant (p < 0.05) between-group improvement
#Statistically significant (p < 0.05) within-group improvement