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

NCT ID: NCT07184294

Last Updated: 2025-09-19

Basic Information

• Recruitment Status: RECRUITING
• Clinical Phase: NA
• Total Enrollment: 50 participants
• Study Classification: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Start Date: 2025-08-28
• Study Completion Date: 2026-11-28

Brief Summary

This clinical trial tests how well different types of massage therapy works to reduce anxiety during chemotherapy infusions in patients with cancer. Many cancer patients experience moderate to severe anxiety and anxiety can worsen by the anticipation of medical procedures that patients have to receive, particularly chemotherapy. Massage therapy, as a complementary treatment, has shown promise in lessening both physical and psychological symptoms associated with cancer and its treatments. Research has also shown the benefits of massage therapy in reducing pain, stress, anxiety, nausea (upset stomach), fatigue (tiredness), and depression in cancer patients. Different types of massage therapy may potentially reduce some cancer patients' symptoms, enhance their treatment, and reduce treatment related side effects.

Detailed 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.

Conditions

Hematopoietic and Lymphatic System Neoplasm; Malignant Solid Neoplasm

Study Design

• Allocation Method: NA
• Intervention Model: SINGLE_GROUP
• Primary Study Purpose: SUPPORTIVE_CARE
• Blinding Strategy: NONE

Study Groups

Supportive Care (FL, HNS, HA, combination, no massage)

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

Group Type: EXPERIMENTAL

Best Practice

Intervention Type: OTHER

Receive no massage therapy

Biospecimen Collection

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

Undergo saliva sample collection

Massage Therapy

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

Receive FL therapy

Massage Therapy

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

Receive HNS therapy

Massage Therapy

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

Receive HA therapy

Massage Therapy

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

Receive combination FL, HNS, and HA therapy

Questionnaire Administration

Intervention Type: OTHER

Ancillary studies

Interventions

Best Practice

Receive no massage therapy

Intervention Type: OTHER

Biospecimen Collection

Undergo saliva sample collection

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

Massage Therapy

Receive FL therapy

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

Massage Therapy

Receive HNS therapy

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

Massage Therapy

Receive HA therapy

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

Massage Therapy

Receive combination FL, HNS, and HA therapy

Intervention Type: PROCEDURE

Questionnaire Administration

Ancillary studies

Intervention Type: OTHER

Other Intervention Names

standard of care; standard therapy; Biological Sample Collection; Biospecimen Collected; Specimen Collection; Massage; Massage; Massage; Massage

Eligibility Criteria

Inclusion Criteria

• Participant must be 18 years of age or older at time of consent
• The study is open to all participants regardless of gender, race, or ethnicity
• Participants should have had at least 1 cycle of the chemotherapy regimen at the time of recruitment
• Participant must have a baseline anxiety score > 3 on the Visual Analog scale (VAS)
• Scheduled for at least six more infusion sessions
• Participant has had complete blood count (CBC) lab work completed in the past 24 hours

Exclusion Criteria

• Platelet count less than 20,000. Patients taking anticoagulants are not excluded, as the protocol for massage in infusion ensures that deep pressure massage is never performed, and patient's massage will not exceed a 3 on the Walton scale
• Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) less than 500
• Patient has received radiation therapy to any of the targeted areas within the past 90 days
• Any patient that is currently using a cold therapy device that would interfere with their ability to have a massage without removing the device (cold gloves, cold socks)
• Had surgery on their foot, leg, head, neck, shoulder, hands, or arms within the past three months
• Participant has rashes, open wounds, or any skin conditions that could be exacerbated by massage
• Known allergies to creams, lotions, or any other substances that may be used during the massage therapy sessions
• Ongoing uncontrolled active psychiatric condition that would interfere in the conduct of the study (e.g., mood disorders, anxiety, psychosis disorders, or substance use), as determined by the patient's primary cancer team
• Participants with a known allergy to Bioton dual-purpose massage cream or any of its ingredients will be excluded from the study
• In order to minimize undue influence and coercion, the study team will not personally solicit an employee for participation: An employee who is under the direct/indirect supervision of the principal investigator (PI)/a co-investigator/the study manager and a direct study team member
• Pregnancy
• Any participants with bone metastasis

• Minimum Eligible Age: 18 Years
• Eligible Sex: ALL
• Accepts Healthy Volunteers: No

Sponsors

National Cancer Institute (NCI)

NIH

Sponsor Role: collaborator

City of Hope Medical Center

OTHER

Sponsor Role: lead

Responsible Party

Responsibility Role: SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

Richard T Lee

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

City of Hope Medical Center

Locations

City of Hope at Irvine Lennar

Irvine, California, United States

Site Status: RECRUITING

Countries

United States

Facility Contacts

Richard T. Lee

Role: primary

RichLee@coh.org

949-671-4091

Other Identifiers

NCI-2025-06187

Identifier Type: REGISTRY

Identifier Source: secondary_id

24302

Identifier Type: OTHER

Identifier Source: secondary_id

P30CA033572

Identifier Type: NIH

Identifier Source: secondary_id

View Link

24302

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id