{"groups":[{"description":"Patients received three visits by the professional massage therapists over the first week after the enrollment. Massage treatments were scheduled based on patient preferences, and the duration was between 15 and 45 minutes; both the duration and the amount of pressure was modified depending on patient comfort. A limited scope of practice was provided to the massage therapists that specified the allowed and disallowed massage modalities and techniques. Allowed techniques were both Swedish and non-Swedish massage including gliding/effleurage, gentle kneading/petrissage, compression, gentle stretching, rocking, light myofascial release, active and/or passive range of motion, warm or cool applications, and use of acupressure points as well as craniosacral holds thought to have calming and centering effects. No forms of friction, deep-tissue massage, or bodywork forms that required movement by the patients were allowed.","id":"FG000","title":"Touch Intervention (Massage Therapy)"},{"description":"The authors wanted to separate out the effect of interacting with a massage therapist from massage itself, so the therapists performed no-touch control interventions, which had no healing intention. Although most of the therapists had experience with energy healing, the therapists were trained to avoid ''healing intention'' in the no-touch group by using distraction if necessary, created by counting backwards. For the no-touch control intervention, therapists were instructed to be with the patients between 15 and 45 minutes, depending on the patient's tolerance, and to hold their hands about 12 inches over the patient's body. In the usual-care control group, patients completed the same questionnaires but did not receive any visits from the massage therapists.","id":"FG001","title":"No Touch Intervention (Control)"},{"description":"Patients did not receive visits from massage therapists. Patients were intended to receive pain therapy, psychosocial assessment and care, and quality-of-life assessment","id":"FG002","title":"Usual Care (Control)"}],"periods":[{"milestones":[{"achievements":[{"groupId":"FG000","numSubjects":"20"},{"groupId":"FG001","numSubjects":"10"},{"groupId":"FG002","numSubjects":"9"}],"type":"STARTED"},{"achievements":[{"groupId":"FG000","numSubjects":"20"},{"groupId":"FG001","numSubjects":"10"},{"groupId":"FG002","numSubjects":"8"}],"type":"COMPLETED"},{"achievements":[{"groupId":"FG000","numSubjects":"0"},{"groupId":"FG001","numSubjects":"0"},{"groupId":"FG002","numSubjects":"1"}],"type":"NOT COMPLETED"}],"title":"Overall Study"}],"recruitmentDetails":"Using oncology clinic electronic database, eligible patients were selected based on their clinical diagnosis (solid cancer with evidence of metastases) and whether they lived within 25 miles of the hospital. Patients were told that the authors were conducting a study of nonpharmacologic treatments intended to improve symptom management."}