Massage during chemo: a new way to fight anxiety?
NCT ID NCT07184294
First seen Jun 26, 2026 · Last updated Sep 17, 2026 · Updated 3 times
Summary
This study tests whether different types of massage can lower anxiety in cancer patients while they receive chemotherapy. Fifty adults who already have high anxiety and are at least one cycle into chemo will receive massage during their infusion sessions. Researchers will measure how many people complete the massages and whether anxiety levels drop afterward.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- Massage therapy
- What this could lead to
- If successful, this could show that massage is a practical way to ease anxiety during chemotherapy, offering a drug-free option to help patients feel calmer during treatment.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small feasibility study (50 people) with no control group, so results may not prove effectiveness. It also only includes patients who already have high anxiety, so findings may not apply to everyone.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Not a phased trial
Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.
- Participants
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About 50 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
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Aug 2025
- Expected to finish
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Nov 2026
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
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Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Anyone
- Healthy volunteers
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Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
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Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Participant must be 18 years of age or older at time of consent * The study is open to all participants regardless of gender, race, or ethnicity * Participants should have had at least 1 cycle of the chemotherapy regimen at the time of recruitment * Participant must have a baseline anxiety score \> 3 on the Visual Analog scale (VAS) * Scheduled for at least six more infusion sessions * Participant has had complete blood count (CBC) lab work completed in the past 24 hours Exclusion Criteria: * Platelet count less than 20,000. Patients taking anticoagulants are not excluded, as the protocol for massage in infusion ensures that deep pressure massage is never performed, and patient's massage will not exceed a 3 on the Walton scale * Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) less than 500 * Patient has received radiation therapy to any of the targeted areas within the past 90 days * Any patient that is currently using a cold therapy device that would interfere with their ability to have a massage without removing the device (cold gloves, cold socks) * Had surgery on their foot, leg, head, neck, shoulder, hands, or arms within the past three months * Participant has rashes, open wounds, or any skin conditions that could be exacerbated by massage * Known allergies to creams, lotions, or any other substances that may be used during the massage therapy sessions * Ongoing uncontrolled active psychiatric condition that would interfere in the conduct of the study (e.g., mood disorders, anxiety, psychosis disorders, or substance use), as determined by the patient's primary cancer team * Participants with a known allergy to Bioton dual-purpose massage cream or any of its ingredients will be excluded from the study * In order to minimize undue influence and coercion, the study team will not personally solicit an employee for participation: An employee who is under the direct/indirect supervision of the principal investigator (PI)/a co-investigator/the study manager and a direct study team member * Pregnancy * Any participants with bone metastasis
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Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
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The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
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The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
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A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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City of Hope at Irvine Lennar
RECRUITINGIrvine, California, 92618, United States
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