Light Massage and Music Therapy may help reduce Leukemia-Related Pain and Fatigue: ASCO

In a new study, researchers have found discovered light massage was more helpful and lasted longer than music therapy in managing leukemia-related pain and exhaustion in adult patients with acute leukemia. Cancer-related pain and exhaustion are typical detriments to quality of life in leukemia patients. Pharmacologic treatments have not been demonstrated to be effective in controlling these symptoms.

This study was conducted by Mojtaba Miladinia and team with the objective to compare two safe complementary medicine techniques for treating cancer-related pain and tiredness in adult patients with acute leukemia while on active chemotherapy treatment. The findings of this study were published in the American Society of Clinical Oncology Journal.

For this study, between 2018 and 2019, a randomized experiment with three groups (light massage, music therapy, and conventional care) was conducted in Ahvaz, Iran. Participants in the massage and music therapy groups had 15-minute intervention sessions three times a week for four weeks, while those in the control group received routine care. The severity of cancer-related pain and exhaustion was assessed using quantitative self-report rating measures. Pain and tiredness intensity were assessed weekly over the four weeks of treatments. After the intervention, all groups were followed up on for two weeks.

Key findings of this study are:

1. When compared to the usual care group, the severity of pain and exhaustion decreased considerably over time in the intervention groups.

2. The massage and music treatment groups had a gradual reduction in pain and tiredness intensity over time (from baseline to the fourth week).

3. The severity of fatigue did not differ between the two intervention groups. When compared to the music therapy group, pain intensity decreased greater in the massage group.

4. The benefits of massage treatment lasted longer than those of music therapy two weeks after the session was concluded.

In conclusion, both complementary therapies were shown to be beneficial at reducing pain and exhaustion, although mild massage had better results.

Reference:

Miladinia M, Voss JG, Molavynejad S, et al. Slow-stroke back massage compared with music therapy for leukemia-related pain and fatigue: a randomized controlled trial. JCO Oncol Pract. 2021;17(11):e1614-e1621. doi:10.1200/OP.21.00156