Reflexology in oncological treatment - a systematic review.

ABSTRACT:

Background

As cancer and its therapy comes with a wide range of negative effects, people look for options to mitigate these effects. Reflexology is among the options of complementary medicine.

Method

In March 2022 a systematic search was conducted searching five electronic databases (Embase, Cochrane, PsychInfo, CINAHL and Medline) to find studies concerning the use, effectiveness and potential harm of reflexology on cancer patients.

Results

From all 821 search results, 29 publications concerning 26 studies with 2465 patients were included in this systematic review. The patients treated with reflexology were mainly diagnosed with breast, lung, gastrointestinal and hematological cancer. Outcomes were mainly pain, quality of life, anxiety, depression, fatigue. The studi

SUBMITTER: Klaus M 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10782728 | biostudies-literature | 2024 Jan

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature