REST: Reducing End-of-Life Symptoms With Touch

Phase 2

Completed

• Conditions: Neoplasms; Pain

• Registration Number: NCT00065195
• Lead Sponsor: National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health (NCCIH)

Brief Summary

The purpose of this study is to determine whether massage therapy is effective in reducing pain and distress and improving quality of life among cancer patients at life's end.

Detailed Description

Relieving physical and emotional symptoms is a key component of end-of-life care. Despite care, terminally ill patients are still significantly burdened by unrelieved symptoms. Therapies that have potential to alleviate these symptoms deserve thorough investigation.

This study will last 3 weeks. Participants in this study will be randomly assigned to receive six sessions of either moving or nonmoving touch therapy, in addition to usual hospice care, for 2 weeks. Moving touch therapy consists of massage therapy in which a trained therapist continually touches a person's body. The nonmoving touch therapy will be conducted by volunteers who have no previous experience in massage. Participants in this group will have a volunteer rub specific body parts for 3-minute intervals. Because current evidence suggests that thoughts of healing may influence the effectiveness of touch therapy, volunteers in the nonmoving therapy group will distract their minds to avoid thinking of healing processes. In both groups, the person administering the touch therapy will note all interruptions during a session, including talk, music, and television. Interviews about medication use, pain, and quality of life will be used to assess participants; these interviews will be conducted at study start, immediately before and after each therapy session, and at Weeks 1, 2, and 3.

Study Timeline

• Study First Submitted: 2003-07-18
• Study First Submitted QC: 2003-07-18
• Study First Posted: 2003-07-21
• Study Start: 2003-11
• Primary Completion: 2007-03
• Study Completion: 2007-03
• Status Verified: 2008-01
• Last Update Submitted: 2008-01-23
• Last Update Posted: 2008-01-25

Recruitment & Eligibility

• Status: COMPLETED
• Sex: All
• Target Recruitment: 440

Inclusion Criteria

• Advanced cancer, with at least moderate pain 1 week prior to study entry
• Life expectancy of at least 3 weeks
• Able to speak English

Exclusion Criteria

• Massage therapy within 1 month prior to study entry
• Current use of anticoagulants
• Platelet count less than 10,000
• Unstable spine that would interfere with touch therapy

Study & Design

• Study Type: INTERVENTIONAL
• Study Design: PARALLEL

Primary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Decreased pain

Secondary Outcome Measures

Name	Time	Method
Less total analgesic medication use.
Improved quality of life
Decreased physical symptom distress
Decreased emotional symptom distress

Trial Locations

Locations (9)

Pike's Peak Hospice and Palliative Care; 🇺🇸 Colorado Springs, Colorado, United States

University of Colorado Cancer Center; 🇺🇸 Denver, Colorado, United States

Hospice of St. John; 🇺🇸 Lakewood, Colorado, United States

Hospice Care in the Berkshires, Inc.; 🇺🇸 Pittsfield, Massachusetts, United States

Hope Hospice and Palliative Care; 🇺🇸 Fort Myers, Florida, United States

Hospice at Charlotte; 🇺🇸 Charlotte, North Carolina, United States

San Diego Hospice; 🇺🇸 San Diego, California, United States

Pathways at Hospice of Metro Denver; 🇺🇸 Denver, Colorado, United States

LifePath Hospice and Palliative Care, Inc.; 🇺🇸 Tampa, Florida, United States