Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33269414›Full record

SynthesisJournal of cancer survivorship : research and practice2021

Randomized control trial evidence for the benefits of massage and relaxation therapy on sleep in cancer survivors-a systematic review.

Stephen Rajan Samuel, Rachita Gururaj, K Vijaya Kumar, Prina Vira, P U Prakash Saxena, Justin William Leslie Keogh

Registry-linked trialOpen access · hybridAbstract readSystematic Review
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Synthesis in Journal of cancer survivorship : research and practice, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT06407622 (The Effect of Foot Reflexology on Pain Intensity, Sleep Quality and Bowel Functions in Patients Undergoing Appendectomy Surgery), which is not on this map. Cited by 15 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
15citing papers in PubMed, 3 pooled it
3.5field-weighted citation impact, top 8% of its field
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT06407622 nacompletednot on this mapstarted 2023, after this paper: background citation

The Effect of Foot Reflexology on Pain Intensity, Sleep Quality and Bowel Functions in Patients Undergoing Appendectomy Surgery

TypeinterventionalSponsorBartın UnıversityRan2023 to 2024Enrolled120ConditionsNursing, Pain, Reflexology, Abdominal PainArmsFoot Reflexology
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

15 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 33 citations in OpenAlex.

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4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

6 authors at 2 institutions in 3 countries.

Stephen Rajan SamuelDepartment of Physiotherapy, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India.
Rachita GururajDepartment of Physiotherapy, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India.
K Vijaya KumarDepartment of Physiotherapy, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India. vijay.kk@manipal.edu.ORCID 0000-0003-4937-7442
Prina ViraDepartment of Physiotherapy, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India.
P U Prakash SaxenaDepartment of Radiation Oncology at Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India.
Justin William Leslie KeoghDepartment of Physiotherapy, Kasturba Medical College, Mangalore, Manipal Academy of Higher Education, Manipal, India.
Manipal Academy of Higher Education · INBond University · AU

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

purposeCancer survivors may experience sleep disturbances during and after their cancer treatments. While pharmacological approaches are commonly used to address sleep disturbances, they may have a number of adverse effects. This review studied the effect of two non-pharmacological interventions (massage and relaxation therapy) on sleep disturbances in cancer survivors.

methodsA search for randomised controlled trials (RCTs) was conducted on PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, PEDro, and CINAHL using relevant keywords.

resultsThe search yielded 371 articles, with 4 RCTs studying massage therapy and 3 RCTs studying relaxation therapy included for qualitative analysis. Massage therapy studies showed statistically significant improvement in self-reported sleep questionnaires and objectively recorded long sleep episodes, as assessed via an accelerometer. No significant improvements in sleep outcomes were observed in the relaxation therapy studies, although there were trends for improved self-reported sleep quality.

conclusionWhile massage therapy provided by massage therapists may have some potential for improving sleep outcomes for cancer survivors, there is no such current evidence regarding relaxation therapy. IMPLICATIONS FOR CANCER SURVIVORS: Cancer survivors who experience sleep disturbances may benefit from regular sessions with a massage therapist. However, future studies should examine the long-term feasibility of massage therapist-delivered services, particularly for cancer survivors with limited finances, and determine if benefits can be obtained if massage is provided by non-certified individuals. Relaxation therapy appears to be safe for cancer survivors, but future RCTs involving larger sample sizes need to be conducted to better determine its feasibility and efficacy.

Indexed as

Cancer SurvivorsNeoplasmsSleep Wake DisordersHumansMassageRandomized Controlled Trials as TopicRelaxation TherapySleepCarcinomaMassageRelaxation therapySleep wake disorders

Identifiers

PMID33269414
PMCPMC8448699
OpenAlexW3107891367

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
LicenceCC BY
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.