Record MS-N193 · Supportive care · Last literature search and appraisal: 31 October 2026
Evidence at a glance
- Evidence label: Possible benefit; one small pediatric trial
- Potential benefit: A 70-person randomized trial reported lower nausea and several vomiting measures with massage, while vomiting incidence itself was not significantly different.
- Risk: Children need age-appropriate assent, trained delivery and modification for central lines, skin injury, thrombocytopenia, infection risk and bone disease.
- What this evidence is about: Supportive symptom care around chemotherapy; no tumor response or survival outcome was assessed.
What was studied
Seventy patients aged 4–18 years receiving chemotherapy were randomized to massage or control. The intervention used 20-minute Swedish massage 30 minutes and 24 hours before chemotherapy and 24 hours afterward. The massage group had lower reported nausea incidence/severity/duration/frequency and lower vomiting severity/frequency (reported P<0.05), but vomiting incidence did not differ (P=0.192). The publication does not establish that massage can substitute for pediatric antiemetic therapy.
What the evidence cannot establish
Small trial, heterogeneous cancers and chemotherapy, subjective scales, sparse reporting of allocation/masking and unclear clinical importance. Full text was reviewed. Funding, conflicts and adverse-event reporting were not verified. Generalizability to infants, very ill children or other massage protocols is unknown.
Symptom improvement is not evidence of tumor shrinkage, delayed recurrence or longer survival. This record does not support replacing oncology treatment.
Practical safety context
Parents should not improvise deep massage during chemotherapy. Ask the pediatric oncology team where touch is safe, especially around ports, tumors, recent procedures, painful neuropathy, mucositis-related frailty, fever or low platelets. Seek urgent advice for persistent vomiting, dehydration, severe pain or fever.
Questions for the care team
- Is the antiemetic regimen optimized for my child’s chemotherapy risk?
- Who can teach a gentle, child-appropriate technique and identify areas to avoid?
- How will nausea, hydration and adverse effects be monitored?
Sources checked
Source note: Publication dates refer to the indexed paper; links were checked on 31 October 2026. A registry entry verifies design or status, not efficacy. Unreported fields are not assumed to be absent.
Education only: This evidence summary is not personal medical advice. Decisions about symptoms, treatment interactions and complementary care belong with your oncology team.
