Abstracts from the Poster Session of the 2017 American Massage Therapy Association National Convention

Abstracts from the Poster Session of the 2017 American Massage Therapy Association National Conventions from the Poster Session of the 2017 American Massage Therapy Association National Convention maSSagE For BrEaSt CaNCEr SurvivorS: PrESENtiNg EvidENCE aNd idENtiFyiNg oPPortuNitiES Emiliana Bomfim, BScN, MSc, PhD (cand), Kalyani Premkumar, MD, PhD Introduction: Although massage therapy (MT) has been providing positive results, the quantity and quality of available preliminary evidences is not sufficient to build trustworthy clinical guidelines, especially to address long-term treatment-related symptoms (TRS) in breast cancer survivors. Certainly, this lack of evidence prevents us from bridging the gap between basic research and clinical practice, and at the same time, requires an extensive compilation and discussion of the evidence already published in order to unveil the possibilities of scientific and clinical exploration. Objective: The objective of this work is to present evidence on massage therapy as a TRS reduction strategy and its immune response-stimulating effects in breast cancer survivors, as well as present the current gaps and limitations of research in this arena. Methods: From a standpoint of translational research, a scooping review was performed. Five databases were used as data sources: LILACS, EMBASE, CINAHL, PubMed, and the Cochrane Library. Inclusion criteria were full-text articles available in English, Spanish or Portuguese and published in the last 20 years (1981–2016). Results: From the preselected articles, 12 clinical trials were retained for critical appraisal on methodological quality. Overall, the literature highlights many advantages in the use of CAM by breast cancer patients, suggesting its value in long-term TRS management. Overall, the evidence gathered by this review shows that many MT types show a positive effect on the levels of different biomarkers such as IgA levels, α-amylase, salivary cortisol, salivary flow rate, serum cortisol, serotonin, NK cells, lymphocytes, urinary catecholamines, Th1 molecules (IL-1, IFNγ), Th2 (IL-4, IL-10), peripheral blood mononuclear cell, hemodynamic effects, and increase of dopamine and serotonin levels. The concept of cancer survivor care has received greater attention due to the increasing number of cancer survivors living well beyond their initial diagnosis. Despite the increased survival rate, there is a continuing need for research to assess the effects of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) on patient’s quality of life (QoL) and TRS. Conclusions: Most of MT that were tested in the studies consistently improved the quality of life of breast cancer patients. Overall, the use of MT seems to be an effective, safe, and noninvasive approach in the management of several TRS for breast cancer survivors. EvaluatiNg imPaCt oF SWEdiSH maSSagE oN SH girdlE aNd C4-t1 NErvE rootS PoStiNjECtioN tHEraPy