Not provided
| ID | Type | Description | Link |
|---|---|---|---|
| R21AT007090 | U.S. NIH Grant/Contract | View source |
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
| Name | Class |
|---|---|
| National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH) | NIH |
| National Cancer Institute (NCI) | NIH |
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
With approximately 12 million cancer survivors today in the United States alone, increased attention is being given to quality of life after cancer treatment. Cancer-related fatigue (CRF) is one of the most prevalent and debilitating symptoms experienced by people with cancer. It can persist for months or years after cancer therapy is completed and has a negative impact on all areas of function. Meaningful evidence-based treatment options for CRF are extremely limited and finding safe, inexpensive, and effective interventions for managing this distressing symptom are urgently needed. Basic research has shown that activation of the immune system can cause potent changes in behavior including reduced activity, fatigue, and decreased social behavior. Furthermore, research over the last decade has found a relationship between levels of CRF with increased inflammation. Thus, study of therapies that may decrease immune system activation in the setting of CRF represents a possible target for intervention. Massage therapy is one of the fastest growing alternative therapies and has a high rate of acceptance for symptom management among cancer patients. Massage has been shown in smaller studies with cancer patients to modulate the immune system. Moreover, massage has been demonstrated to significantly decrease markers of immune system activation in normal subjects. There are no published randomized controlled trials examining either the role of massage as an intervention primarily for CRF or investigating whether massage related decreases in immune system activation are responsible for improvement in CRF. This proposal investigates the effects of massage therapy on CRF among breast cancer survivors. The investigators' primary hypothesis is that Swedish Massage Therapy (SMT) will decrease CRF compared to a light touch condition and wait list control. The investigators' secondary hypothesis is that SMT will decrease CRF by reducing immune system activation. The investigators' main exploratory hypothesis is that a decrease in CRF will increase quality of life among cancer survivors.
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
| Label | Type | Description | Intervention Names |
|---|---|---|---|
| Swedish massage therapy | Experimental | Swedish massage therapy once per week for 6 weeks |
|
| Light touch therapy | Active Comparator | Light touch therapy once per week for 6 weeks |
|
| Wait list | Other | A 6 week wait list, followed by randomization to massage therapy or light touch therapy once per week for 6 weeks |
|
| Name | Type | Description | Arm Group Labels | Other Names |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Swedish massage therapy | Other |
| ||
| Light touch therapy |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Cancer-Related Fatigue | The primary aim of this study is to determine whether a 6-week Swedish massage therapy (SMT) intervention can decrease cancer-related fatigue, as measured by the Multidimensional Fatigue Inventory (MFI), among breast cancer survivors who have received both radiation and chemotherapy and have CRF. We hypothesize that SMT will decrease fatigue more than light touch (LT) or a wait list control (WLC) condition as assessed by the MFI. | 6 weeks |
| Measure | Description | Time Frame |
|---|---|---|
| Inflammation | A secondary aim of this study is to determine whether the hypothesized decrease in cancer-related fatigue is due to Swedish massage therapy modulating the immune system of subjects with cancer-related fatigue to decrease chronic inflammation. | 6 weeks |
Not provided
Inclusion Criteria:
Exclusion Criteria:
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
| Name | Affiliation | Role |
|---|---|---|
| Mark H Rapaport, MD | Emory University | Principal Investigator |
| Facility | Status | City | State | ZIP | Country | Contacts |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Emory University | Atlanta | Georgia | 30322 | United States |
Not provided
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D005221 | Fatigue |
| D007249 | Inflammation |
| ID | Term |
|---|---|
| D012816 | Signs and Symptoms |
| D013568 | Pathological Conditions, Signs and Symptoms |
| D010335 | Pathologic Processes |
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
Not provided
| Other |
|