Massage in patients undergoing intensive chemotherapy reduces serum cortisol and prolactin.
Affiliation
Haematology and Transplant Unit, Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK. jacqui.stringer@christie.nhs.ukIssue Date
2008-10
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OBJECTIVE: The objective is to identify whether single 20 min massage sessions were safe and effective in reducing stress levels of isolated haematological oncology patients. DESIGN: Based on a randomised controlled trial, 39 patients were randomised to aromatherapy, massage or rest (control) arm. MEASURES: The measures were serum cortisol and prolactin levels, quality of life (EORTC QLQ-C30) and semi-structured interviews. Primary outcome measure was the fall in serum cortisol levels. RESULTS: A significant difference was seen between arms in cortisol (P=0.002) and prolactin (p=0.031) levels from baseline to 30 min post-session. Aromatherapy and massage arms showed a significantly greater drop in cortisol than the rest arm. Only the massage arm had a significantly greater reduction in prolactin then the rest arm. The EORTC QLQ-C30 showed a significant reduction in 'need for rest' for patients in both experimental arms compared with the control arm, whereas the semi-structured interviews identified a universal feeling of relaxation in patients in the experimental arms. CONCLUSION: This pilot study demonstrated that in isolated haematological oncology patients, a significant reduction in cortisol could be safely achieved through massage, with associated improvement in psychological well-being. The implications are discussed.Citation
Massage in patients undergoing intensive chemotherapy reduces serum cortisol and prolactin. 2008, 17 (10):1024-31 PsychooncologyJournal
Psycho-OncologyDOI
10.1002/pon.1331PubMed ID
18300336Type
ArticleLanguage
enISSN
1099-1611ae974a485f413a2113503eed53cd6c53
10.1002/pon.1331
Scopus Count
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