Jean S. Kutner, M.D., of the University of Colorado, and colleagues reported in the Sept. 16 issue of the Annals of Internal Medicine, that Massage therapy afforded patients with advanced cancer immediate relief of pain and improvement in mood. But relief was short-lived, according to the report.

The single-blind study compared massage therapy with simple-touch therapy. It included 380 adults with advanced cancer (stages III or IV), 90% in hospice care, with moderate-to-severe pain. The patients were enrolled from November 2003 through October 2006. Massage therapy, was provided by licensed therapists, and consisted of six 30-minute sessions over two weeks with at least 24 hours between treatment sessions. The intervention included gentle, smooth, gliding strokes (effleurage), squeezing, rolling, and kneading of muscles (petrissage), and trigger-point release using finger pressure at painful areas to break cycles of spasm and pain.

Simple-touch therapy, given to the control group, consisted of placement of both hands on the patient for three minutes at each of a variety of locations. Pressure was light and consistent, with no side-to-side hand movement. Providers had no past body or energy work experience. Sessions lasted for 30 minutes over two weeks.

Primary outcomes were immediate change in pain (as measured by the Memorial Pain Assessment Card) and sustained change, measured using the Brief Pain Inventory (BPI). Secondary outcomes were immediate change in mood, 60-second heart and respiratory rates and sustained change in quality of life, symptom distress, and analgesic medication use.

The generalizability to all patients with advanced cancer is uncertain. The study patients were English-speaking adults with an estimated life expectancy of three weeks or longer who could participate. Furthermore, the researchers noted, the differential beneficial effect of massage therapy over simple touch was not conclusive without a usual-care control group. However, their findings, they said, support offering massage for immediate symptom relief. They also noted that, considering the potential therapeutic benefits of attention and simple touch, the simple-touch therapy could be provided by family members or hospice volunteers, as an adjunct to usual care.