Different Types of Massage Therapy to Reduce Anxiety During Chemotherapy Infusion in Patients With Cancer

Description

PRIMARY OBJECTIVES:

I. To assess the feasibility of 30-minute massages targeting various body regions among patients with cancer receiving anticancer therapy infusion.

II. Assess which type of massage is preferred by patients with cancer receiving anticancer therapy infusion.

SECONDARY OBJECTIVE:

I. To assess the change in anxiety levels after each type of massage therapy during infusion.

EXPLORATORY OBJECTIVE:

I. To evaluate changes in other symptoms, such as: pain, fatigue, nausea, depression, and overall well-being, using data obtained from the Edmonton Symptoms Assessment scale (ESAS) after each type of massage therapy.

OUTLINE:

Patients receive massage therapy according to a randomized schedule to the feet/legs (FL), head/neck/shoulder (HNS), hands/arms (HA), combination of all three groups (FL, HNS, HA) or no massage therapy over 30 minutes for 5 chemotherapy sessions total on study. Patients also undergo saliva sample collection on study.