Massage Therapy for Reducing Stress Hormones and Enhancing Immune Function in Breast Cancer Survivors

摘要

In this study massage and relaxation therapies were examined for women with early stages of breast cancer for 1) reducing anxiety and stress hormone levels, 2) decreasing depressed mood and increasing biochemicals associated with decreased depression (serotonin, dopamine), and 3) increasing immune function 58 women with Stage 1-11 breast cancer screened for eligibility completed the study: massage (n=22), relaxation (n=20) and control groups (n=16) . Women in the massage and relaxation therapies received 3-30 minute sessions a week for 5 weeks. On the first and last days of the 5-week study and at a follow-up period, anxiety and depression levels were assessed, and urine and blood samples were assayed for treatment effects on stress hormones and immune measures. Women in the massage therapy group reported 1) less depressed mood and reduced anxiety, and showed 2) increased dopamine levels, and 3) increased Natural Killer cell numbers; For the relaxation group findings included 1) a short-term mood improvement and reduction in anxiety. Correlation analyses revealed 1) a positive relationship between anxiety and depression, 2) a negative relation between depressed mood and lymphocytes and 3) that greater dopamine levels related to greater NK cell numbers. The correlation analyses lend support to the hypothesis that mood impacts the neuroendocrine and immunological profiles of women with breast cancer. The follow-up assessment 6- months+ later revealed no significant long-term effects suggesting that like many other interventions (e.g., exercise, diet, etc), for therapy effects to persist, continued massage treatments may be required. Taken together, these findings support a step effect with massage therapy having the greatest positive impact on the psychological, biochemical and immunological profiles of women with breast cancer, followed by progressive muscle relaxation therapies, which revealed improved mood short-term.