Currin, J., & Meister, E. A. (2008). A hospital-based intervention using massage to reduce distress among oncology patients. Cancer Nursing, 31, 214–221.

Massage therapists who were specially trained in massage therapy for patients with cancer discussed the massage intervention process with patients and asked them which parts of their body they would like to have massaged. Massage sessions lasted 10 to 15 minutes, using Swedish massage. The most common areas for massage chosen by patients were the feet and leg or back, neck, and shoulder areas. Once patients were enrolled in the study, oncology social workers met with patients to perform a baseline assessment of pretreatment outcomes. After the massage intervention, the oncology social worker met with the patient to assess posttreatment outcomes.

• The study reported 251 patients with cancer (70% female, 30% male).
• Mean patient age was 54.96 years.
• Of the participants, 68.9% were Caucasian, 29.1% were Black, 1.2% were Asian, 0.4% were Hispanic, and 0.4% were Indian.
• Multiple cancer types were included, but the most common type was gynecologic (25%).
• Patients were recruited during a three-year period and were determined to be eligible for the study by their primary nurse.

Patients were hospitalized at a major university hospital in southeastern Georgia.

Patients were undergoing the active treatment phase of care.

The study used a nonrandomized, single-group, pre-/posttest, repeated-measures design.

A modified version of MacDonald’s Patient Evaluation of Massage Experience Scale was used.

The massage therapy intervention resulted in a statistically significant decline in fatigue mean scores (p <  0.001), which was observed between pre- and posttest treatment evaluations.

• The study was not a randomized controlled trial; therefore, no neutral comparison group existed to test for baseline similarities or postintervention differences between groups.
• A substantial number of patients refused to participate, particularly men. This may be a result of preconceived notions regarding massage and human touch. Changing massage nomenclature to “back rub” may be more broadly acceptable in future investigations.
• The study was not a longitudinal design; therefore, it could not be determined how long the observed benefits lasted.