1. Massage Therapy
Research study
For cancer related fatigue in
breast cancer survivors
Conducted by:
The Middlesex Hospital Cancer Center
Sponsored by:
The Massage Therapy Foundation
The Middlesex Hospital Cancer Center is a fully-
accredited community cancer center offering a full
range of screening, diagnostic, treatment, support
and survivorship services. These are provided by a
team of highly-skilled clinicians who combine the
latest technologies with compassion to ensure that
each and every patient receives quality care,
personalized to his or her unique needs.
Programs and services include our:
Comprehensive Breast Center
Comprehensive Prostate &
Urology Programs
GYN & Colorectal Programs
Total Lung Care Center
-
Nurse Navigation
Medical Oncology | Radiation Oncology
Surgical Services | Surgical Alliance
-
Distress Management
Oncology Nutrition
Research & Clinical Trials
Center for Survivorship &
Integrative Medicine
For more information about any of these services
or our care providers, please call (860) 358-2000
or visit www.mhcancercenter.org.
the
The facts
 80% - 100% of cancer patients
experience Cancer Related Fatigue
 More and more survivors are looking to
alternative modalities like massage to
help manage the effects of Cancer
Related Fatigue.
 There is some evidence from studies
that massage may be helpful in
improving quality of life for cancer
survivors experiencing Cancer Related
Fatigue.
Our study
 A randomized, controlled research
study at the Middlesex Hospital Cancer
Center.
 Open to breast cancer survivors who
have been finished with active
treatment for one year or more.
 Swedish-style massage will be delivered
by one of the Cancer Center’s three
Licensed Massage Therapists.
 Fatigue will be measured by a series of
surveys that ask about levels of
tiredness and other related Quality of
Life indicators.
This study is made possible through a generous grant from
the Massage Therapy Foundation.
For more information about this national organization,
please visit www.massagetherapyfoundation.org.

2. Who is eligible?
Any breast cancer survivor, male
or female, may participate, if he or
she is also:
 18 years of age or older
 At least one year removed from active
treatment (surgery, chemotherapy,
radiation therapy or any combination
of these)
 Currently experiencing Cancer
Related Fatigue (CRF)
 Using or not using aromatase
inhibitors or Tamoxifen
 Has not had a massage in the month
before beginning the study.
 Able to travel to the Middlesex
Hospital Outpatient Center (Cancer
Center) one time per week for five
straight weeks.
Your research assistant will review these
criteria with you in detail at your initial
visit to ensure that you are eligible to
take part in the study.
How does it work?
Step 1: Before the Study
 Meet with one of our research
assistants to make sure you are able to
participate.
 Complete three short questionnaires
about your health and fatigue.
 Be assigned to Group A or Group B.
Step 2: The Study
 If you are in Group A… you will receive
one massage per week for four straight
weeks. You will fill out one survey
about your fatigue before each massage
and one day after each massage.
 If you are in Group B… you will only fill
out fatigue questionnaires for a four
week time period. After the study is
complete, you will receive three free
massages, which can be scheduled at a
time that works for you.
Step 3: After the Study
 Members of both groups will be called
by their research assistant four weeks
after their study period ends to complete
one final fatigue survey.
Frequently Asked Questions
 Where will the study massages be done?
All massages will take place at the
Middlesex Hospital Outpatient Center.
This is located at 536 Saybrook Road,
Middletown, CT 06457.
 Who will perform the massages?
One of our three Licensed Massage
Therapists.
 How will I know which group I am in?
At your first meeting with a research
assistant, you will be randomly put into
either Group A or Group B. You will
immediately be told which group you are
in.
 Why is there a Group B?
Group B members will not get massage
while taking part in the study. This allows
us to compare their fatigue with fatigue of
those getting massage.
 How many people will participate?
100 breast cancer survivors will take part in
the study.
 How will my fatigue be measured?
This study will use the Brief Fatigue
Inventory, a reliable tool from the MD
Anderson Cancer Center.
How do I enroll in this study?
Please call us at (860) 358-2077 and leave
a message - Katharine Conroy, BSPH or
Pat O’Brien, APRN, the research assistants,
will contact you for more information