The inclusion criteria were: i) patients with early
stage (stage 2 or stage 3) colorectal cancer, ii) patients
receiving adjuvant chemotherapy (post surgery >1
month), iii) patients aged 30-70 years, and iv) patients
with an anticipated life expectancy of at least one year.
The exclusion criteria were: i) patients who received
professional massage within one month before the beginning of this trial, ii) patients with marked oedema, iii) patients with physiological and/or psychological problems which were likely to affect their ability to participate in the intervention, iv) patients with platelet counts less than 100,000 cells/ml, v) patients for whom essential oil was an irritant, and vi) patients who were receiving medication to stimulate white blood cell production.