Effect of Therapeutic Massage on Sleep Quality and Stress Levels in Women With Breast Cancer

Cyprus University of Technology40 enrolled

Overview

This is a randomized control trial to test the effectiveness of therapeutic massage on the sleep quality and the stress levels in women that have completed their treatment for breast cancer.

The period following the completion of treatment for breast cancer (but also for any other type of cancer as well) is once that is accompanied by an increased uncertainty. This can often trigger increased anxiety levels and sleep disturbances. This trial tests the effectiveness of therapeutic massage as a non pharmaceutical intervention that can increase the management of stress and sleep disturbances during this period of time.

Study Type

INTERVENTIONAL

Allocation

RANDOMIZED

Purpose

TREATMENT

Masking

DOUBLE

Enrollment

Conditions

Sleep Disturbance Anxiety

Interventions

Therapeutic massageOTHER

Massage therapy involves the administration of combinations of specific physical manipulations applied in a systematic way, with varying intensity, direction, rate, and rhythm, to the soft tissues of the body.

Sham massageOTHER

Sham massage involves only light touch massage in a non systematic way

Eligibility

Sex: FEMALEMin age: 18 YearsMax age: 60 Years

Medical Language ↔ Plain English

Inclusion Criteria: * Women that completed their treatment * women experiencing insomnia * women experiencing anxiety * women that speak and understand Greek Exclusion Criteria: * allergy to essential oils * use of anticoagulants * presence of edema * presence of Varicose veins

Locations (1)

Oncology Centre

Nicosia, Cyprus

Outcomes

Primary Outcomes

Sleep Disturbances (insomnia)

Athens insomnia scale (The AIS is a self-assessment psychometric instrument designed for quantifying sleep difficulty based on the ICD-10 criteria. It consists of eight items: the first five pertain to sleep induction, awakenings during the night, final awakening, total sleep duration, and sleep quality; while the last three refer to well-being, functioning capacity, and sleepiness during the day). Each item of the AIS can be rated 0-3, (with 0 corresponding to no problem at all and 3 to very serious problem); thus, the total score ranges from 0 (absence of any sleep-related problem) to 24 (the most severe degree of insomnia).

Time frame: Change from baseline total score at 4 weeks

Secondary Outcomes

Anxiety

Hamilton Anxiety Rating Scale (HAM-A). The scale consists of 14 items. Each item is scored on a scale of 0 (not present) to 4 (severe), with a total score range of 0-56, where \<17 indicates mild severity, 18-24 mild to moderate severity and 25-30 moderate to severe.

Time frame: Change from baseline total score at 4 weeks

Data from ClinicalTrials.gov

This platform is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional.