Meta-Analysis of Massage Therapy on Cancer XXXX .

@entity5 @entity1 @entity158
UNASSIGNED: @entity5 is the most common complaint among @entity1 with @entity5 . Conventional treatment does not always relieve @entity5 satisfactorily. Therefore, many @entity1 with @entity5 have turned to complementary therapies to help them with their physical, emotional, and spiritual well-being. Massage therapy is increasingly used for symptom relief in @entity1 with @entity5 . The current study aimed to investigate by meta-analysis the effects of massage therapy for @entity5 @entity1 experiencing @entity158 . Nine electronic databases were systematically searched for studies published through August 2013 in English, Chinese, and Korean. Methodological quality was assessed using the Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro) and Cochrane risk-of-bias scales. Twelve studies, including 559 @entity1 , were used in the meta-analysis. In 9 high-quality studies based on the PEDro scale (standardized mean difference, -1.24; 95% confidence interval, -1.72 to -0.75), we observed reduction in @entity5 after massage. Massage therapy significantly reduced @entity5 compared with no massage treatment or conventional care (standardized mean difference, -1.25; 95% confidence interval, -1.63 to -0.87). Our results indicate that massage is effective for the relief of @entity5 , especially for surgery-related @entity158 . Among the various types of massage, foot reflexology appeared to be more effective than body or aroma massage. Our meta-analysis indicated a beneficial effect of massage for relief of @entity5 . Further well-designed, large studies with longer follow-up periods are needed to be able to draw firmer conclusions regarding the effectiveness.
