Effects of massage therapy on cancer related fatigue: A systematic review

Abstract

Objectives

This study aims to identify and analyze the scientific evidence on the effectiveness of massage therapy toward fatigue on cancer patients.

Methods

We used a PRISMA checklist to systematically review articles from the following databases: PubMed, Scopus, ProQuest, Science Direct, EBSCO, and Wiley Online Library, published from 2009 to 2018. We structured the research questions with the PICO elements. Although 2747 articles were obtained, only seven articles met the inclusion criteria. Each article was analyzed critically using CASP checklists.

Results

Among the seven shortlisted articles, one was a retrospective study, and six were intervention studies (four RCTs, one quasi-experiment, and one pre-posttest without control).

Conclusion

All of the studies found similar results that suggest massage therapy as one of the effective interventions in reducing fatigue in cancer patients.