Billhult, A., Bergbom, I., & Stener-Victorin, E. (2007). Massage relieves nausea in women with breast cancer who are undergoing chemotherapy. The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine, 13(1), 53-57.
In this prospective trial, patients were randomly assigned to one of two groups. Patients in the intervention group received five massage sessions (effleurage), lasting about 20 minutes. Patients in the control group received visits by a hospital staff member (attention control).
This was a prospective trial with random assignment.
Interpretation of the findings as written was difficult. Although the authors concluded that massage reduced nausea, nausea was not assessed at expected problem points. For example, severe nausea was measured 30 minutes into the chemotherapy infusion after patients received antiemetic prophylaxis with 5-HT3 and steroid.