A literature review about effectiveness of massage therapy for cancer pain.
Study Goal
The researchers aimed to evaluate the effectiveness of massage therapy in reducing cancer pain, particularly focusing on its use in developing countries like Pakistan.
Results Summary
The review found that massage therapy significantly reduced pain in most cancer patients, with 73% of cancer patients in the USA using it. However, there is a lack of studies in developing countries, highlighting the need for further research in such contexts.
Population
Cancer patients, primarily in the USA, with a noted gap in data from developing countries like Pakistan.
Effective Dosage
Not specified
Duration
Not specified
Interactions
None mentioned
| Intervention | Direction | Endpoint | Population | Dosage | Impact | Claim # |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
massage therapy | decrease | cancer pain | cancer patients | - | reduced | #1 |
massage therapy | neutral | - | cancer patients in the USA | Seventy-three per cent | use | #2 |
This literature review explores the effectiveness of massage therapy to reduce cancer pain. As part of the review, systematic literature search was carried out on various electronic databases and specialised journals. Included are 19 research-based articles and 8 review articles. The review suggests that cancer has become a common health problem in the world and most of the cancer patients are going through intense and unbearable pain. Studies have reported that most of the cancer patients' pain reduced with therapeutic massage. Seventy-three per cent of cancer patients use massage therapy in the USA. Few studies are available in the context of the developing world related to massage therapy and we could not find any study in the Pakistani context. There is a need to conduct an interventional study about the effectiveness of massage therapy to control cancer pain in developing countries such as Pakistan.