Slow-Stroke Back Massage Compared With Music Therapy for Leukemia-Related Pain and Fatigue: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Abstract

PURPOSE: Comparison of two safe complementary medicine methods to treat cancer-related pain and fatigue in adult patients with acute leukemia during active treatment with chemotherapy. METHODS: A randomized trial with three groups (light massage, music therapy, and standard care) in Ahvaz, Iran, between 2018 and 2019. A total of 104 participants of the massage and music therapy groups received 15-minute intervention sessions, thrice weekly for 4 weeks, and participants of the control group received standard care. Cancer-related pain and fatigue intensity were measured by numeric self-report rating scales. During the 4 weeks of the interventions, pain and fatigue intensity were measured weekly. All the groups were followed up for 2 weeks after the end of the intervention. RESULTS: Pain and fatigue intensity decreased significantly over time between the intervention groups compared with the standard care group. In the massage and music therapy groups, a progressive reduction of pain and fatigue intensity over time (from the baseline to the fourth week) was observed. Fatigue intensity did not differ between the two intervention groups. Pain intensity decreased more in the massage group compared with the music therapy group. The durable effects of the massage therapy were greater compared with the music therapy 2 weeks after the intervention was completed. CONCLUSION: Light massage was more effective and persisted longer than the music therapy for controlling leukemia-related pain and fatigue in adult patients with acute leukemia.

Determining massage dose-response to improve cancer-related symptom cluster of pain, fatigue, and sleep disturbance: A 7-arm randomized trial in palliative cancer care

“…A sample size of 217 subjects was calculated based on comparing study groups based on a 5% level of significance, 80% power, effect size equal to 0.70, 21 number of groups (7-arm), and number of repeated measures (eight timepoints). Finally, assuming a drop-out rate of 20%, 273 patients were selected as the study participants.…”

“…Slow-stroke back massage (SSBM), a light and safe massage technique performed on the patient's back (from the neck to the sacrum), was used in this study. This technique is carried out using slow, gentle, and rhythmic movements of the palms at a steady speed 21 (eMethods and Table A1 in Supplemental Appendix).…”

“…9,12–15 A substantial body of oncology literature supports the safety and the benefits of palliative massage in reducing the severity of cancer-related symptoms of pain-fatigue-sleep disturbance and improving quality of life. 16–23 However, massage protocols are selected subjectively based on clinical experience, and the most effective doses of massage are not clear in cancer symptoms management. During our literature review process, we came across no massage dose-response trials in oncology settings.…”

5-EPIFAT trial protocol: a multi-center, randomized, placebo-controlled trial of the efficacy of pharmacotherapy for fatigue using methylphenidate, bupropion, ginseng, and amantadine in advanced cancer patients on active treatment

“…are effective in controlling CRF. However, many patients do not have the desire or the ability to be committed to such treatments on a regular basis, and this is particularly true with patients with advanced cancer [ 16 – 18 ]. Therefore, pharmacological interventions can be considered a helpful approach, but evidence in this regard is limited and recommendations are often contradictory [ 19 – 21 ].…”

The effects of foot reflexology on pain and physiological indicators in children with leukemia under chemotherapy: a clinical trial study

“…Uncontrolled pain in children leads to the involvement of the cardiovascular, pulmonary, gastrointestinal, and immune systems [ 11 ]. Pain relief is one of the most challenging aspects of patient care in cancer [ 12 ].…”