Clinical trial · Interventional
Reflexology or Aromatherapy Massage in Relieving Symptoms in Patients With Cancer
Is Reflexology as Effective as Aromatherapy Massage for Symptom Relief in an Outpatient Oncology Population?
NCT01217424CI-TRIAL-00024549completedN/AClinicalTrials.gov clinicaltrialsProvenance
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
RATIONALE: Reflexology and aromatherapy massage may lessen symptoms in patients with cancer. It is not yet known whether reflexology is more effective than aromatherapy massage in relieving symptoms in patients with cancer. PURPOSE: This randomized clinical trial is studying reflexology to see how well it works compared with aromatherapy massage in relieving symptoms in patients with cancer.
Conditions
Conditions (3)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Pain | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Psychosocial Effects of Cancer and Its Treatment | — | UNRESOLVED | — |
| Unspecified Adult Solid Tumor, Protocol Specific | Adult Solid Neoplasm | ALIAS | 0.85 |
Interventions
Interventions (6)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| aromatherapy and essential oils | Procedure | — | UNRESOLVED |
| management of therapy complications | Procedure | — | UNRESOLVED |
| massage therapy | Procedure | — | UNRESOLVED |
| psychosocial assessment and care | Procedure | — | UNRESOLVED |
| questionnaire administration | Other | — | UNRESOLVED |
| reflexology procedure | Procedure | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (0)
[]Primary outcomes (1)
- measure
- Difference of 1 point of concern scores in Measure Yourself Concerns and Well-being (MYCAW) questionnaire from baseline to second evaluation (after completion of all four sessions of therapy)
Secondary outcomes (5)
- measure
- Difference of 2 points of concern scores in MYCAW questionnaire
- measure
- Difference in MYCAW overall well-being score
- measure
- Change over time in pre-session Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) relaxation score (long-term relaxation benefit)
- measure
- Change in pre- to post-session VAS relaxation score (short-term relaxation benefit)
- measure
- Percentage of patients gaining benefit from the intervention defined as improvement by at least 1 point in all answered MYCAW scales
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
- Maximum age
- 120 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
DISEASE CHARACTERISTICS: * Any patient receiving treatment for cancer at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust Hospital * Must be attending the hospital as an outpatient * Planning to access complementary therapy PATIENT CHARACTERISTICS: * No excessive pain in both hands and both feet * Not experiencing a combination of conditions affecting both hands and both feet which would prevent reflexology of either hands or feet from taking place, including any of the following: * Deep vein thrombosis * Lymphedema * Infected or broken skin * Recent scars or injuries * Phlebitis * Areas currently receiving radiotherapy (or received radiotherapy in the past 2 weeks) * Able and willing to attend the hospital for four 1-hour sessions PRIOR CONCURRENT THERAPY: * See Disease Characteristics * At least 2 months since prior and no other concurrent massage therapy or reflexology at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust Hospital or from another practitioner * Not planning to undergo massage therapy or reflexology while also taking part in this study * At least 2 months since prior and no other concurrent massage therapy at the Royal Marsden NHS Foundation Trust Hospital
References
Publications (0)
Data not yet available
No reference posted for this study.