{"entity":{"id":"reflexology-cancer","kind":"technology","name":"Reflexology","aka":[],"tldr":"Reflexology is foot massage guided by a map of the body that has no anatomical basis. Small trials report short-lived relaxation and pain relief similar to any gentle foot massage; guidelines list it as an option for pain only with low confidence.","summary":"Reflexology applies pressure to zones on the feet or hands said to correspond to organs. The underlying map has no anatomical or physiological support, but the practice is essentially a structured foot massage and randomised trials in breast cancer report small short-term reductions in pain, anxiety and fatigue compared with usual care, without clear advantage over ordinary foot massage. The 2022 SIO-ASCO pain guideline says reflexology or acupressure may be offered for general cancer pain, a weak recommendation on low-certainty evidence; the SIO breast guideline grades it as an option for quality of life. It is safe with the same precautions as massage (neuropathy, foot wounds, deep vein thrombosis).","status":"emerging","asOf":"2026-09-10","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Reflexology","links":[{"label":"SIO-ASCO guideline: integrative medicine for pain management in oncology (JCO 2022)","url":"https://doi.org/10.1200/JCO.22.01357"},{"label":"SIO clinical practice guideline: integrative therapies during and after breast cancer treatment (CA Cancer J Clin 2017)","url":"https://doi.org/10.3322/caac.21397"}],"tags":["complementary","supportive-care","evidence:insufficient"],"related":[],"cancers":[],"sections":["supportive-care"],"technologies":["integrative-oncology","massage-therapy-cancer"],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":[],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":["b-toxicity-qol"],"keyPapers":["paper-mao-j-clin-oncol","paper-greenlee-ca-cancer-j-clin"],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"principle":"Any effect is best explained by the general relaxation and attention effects of touch rather than by the claimed organ correspondences.","strengths":["Safe, relaxing","Weak SIO-ASCO 2022 mention for general pain"],"limitations":["No plausible specific mechanism","Not superior to ordinary foot massage","Small unblinded trials"]},"route":"/technologies/reflexology-cancer/","neighbours":{"section":[{"id":"supportive-care","kind":"section","name":"Supportive Care & Survivorship","route":"/fronts/supportive-care/"}],"technology":[{"id":"lymphoedema-decongestive-therapy","kind":"technology","name":"Compression, decongestive therapy and exercise for lymphoedema","route":"/technologies/lymphoedema-decongestive-therapy/"},{"id":"integrative-oncology","kind":"technology","name":"Evidence-based integrative oncology","route":"/technologies/integrative-oncology/"},{"id":"massage-therapy-cancer","kind":"technology","name":"Massage therapy in cancer care","route":"/technologies/massage-therapy-cancer/"}],"bottleneck":[{"id":"b-toxicity-qol","kind":"bottleneck","name":"Toxicity and quality of life are undervalued","route":"/bottlenecks/b-toxicity-qol/"}],"paper":[{"id":"paper-greenlee-ca-cancer-j-clin","kind":"paper","name":"Clinical practice guidelines on the evidence-based use of integrative therapies during and after breast cancer treatment","route":"/key-papers/paper-greenlee-ca-cancer-j-clin/"},{"id":"paper-mao-j-clin-oncol","kind":"paper","name":"Integrative Medicine for Pain Management in Oncology: Society for Integrative Oncology-ASCO Guideline","route":"/key-papers/paper-mao-j-clin-oncol/"}]}}