Effect of Meridian Massage for Cancer Related Fatigue

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness of meridian massage in lessening the fatigue and improving both physical and mental quality of life of cancer patients. Settings and design: This study was conducted at the East-West Cancer Center at Daejeon University; Using a single-arm, waiting list and non-treatment control research design, we compared the results of control group and to that of the experimental group. Materials and methods: From July 2, 2007 to July 28, 2007, eighteen eligible cancer patients were recruited to participate in the experiment. Modified Chalder Fatigue Scale (CFS), Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) and active oxygen level were measured before and after treatment for both control and experimental groups. Lying on their back or stomach inside a room with a temperature of 18-2℃2, the patients received 30 minutes of meridian massages mainly around the trapezius muscles 5 times a week.Statistical analysis used: Data analysis was carried out using independent t-test, paired t-test and One-way ANOVA.Results: Data analysis of modified CFS showed statistically significant results for all groups between before and after treatment. Within CFS, results of physical and psychological analysis showed significant results for all groups except before and after no treatment and secondary treatment. In the analysis of VAS, the experimental group showed a greater decrease in score compared to that of the control group and the average difference was statistically significant (P＜0.05). Although the results were not statistically significant (P＞0.05), active oxygen levels for the control group showed little difference before and after no treatment (331.11 and 330.78, respectively) while the experimental group observed a decrease in active oxygen level before and after treatment (327.28 and 314.11, respectively). Conclusion: In conclusion, patients who received meridian massage showed decreased cancer related fatigue scores compared to the control. These results suggest that meridian massage may alleviate cancer-related fatigue and contribute to the improvement in quality of life among cancer patients.