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Study results for massage and cancer-related stress in kids

Aug. 4, Toronto,
Ont. – A recent study showed that
massage and other relaxation therapies do not lower somatic distress and mood
disturbances in children undergoing stem cell transplants.

Previous findings in adults had indicated that
massage, relaxation, laughter,  guided
imagery and other complementary therapies were as, or more, effective in adult
populations with cancer related stresses than conventional drug and/or
psychosocial interventions, but that children do not respond in a similar
fashion. 

The study was a multisite trial and involved researchers
from Canada’s
The Hospital for Sick Children. It was released from St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital
in Memphis Tennessee and published in July 2010  in Cancer,
the official publication of the American Cancer Society. 

Children who have undergone stem cell transplants
from blood or bone marrow often deal with pain, and require isolation due to
being high risk for infection.  They are,
also, usually on restricted diets.  Stem
cell transplants are among the toughest therapies a child with cancer would
have to endure and researchers were hopeful that they could help alleviate some
of the resulting stresses with complementary, non-aggressive therapies.

These results are disappointing to the research team
but they will continue to search for 
ways to assist children in dealing with these stresses.