Researchers from St. Jude Children's Research Hospital have released their findings from a government and foundation-sponsored study into whether alternative therapies such as massage and relaxation techniques made life easier and lowered stress levels on children undergoing aggressive cancer treatments, as opposed to standard supportive care like anti-nausea drugs. The results have proven to be disappointing.
Researchers randomly assigned 178 children undergoing a difficult stem cell transplantation to three groups: one was given standard care, another got humor therapy and massage therapy, and in a third group, the children's parents also received massages and were shown how to be more relaxed in the presence of their kids.
The results showed that the interventions with alternative therapies failed to improve the quality of life for the kids undergoing the transplant compared to the group receiving standard supportive care.
While researchers admit they were disappointed by the results, they do believe more research into the subject is necessary.
TREATMENT TYPE
Stem cell transplantation (SCT)
Standard supportive care for SCT features pain and anti-nausea medications, and psychological counseling. Alternative care includes massage, humor, and relaxation techniques.
Researchers chose SCT for the study because of the extreme stress it can place on children, since anyone undergoing an SCT must remain fairly isolated to avoid infection, they must be placed on a very restrictive diet, and the procedure can be painful.
WHERE WAS THIS RESEARCH PUBLISHED?
Online in the journal Cancer.
By Ross Bonander
Citation
Sean Phipps, Maru Barrera, Kathryn Vannatta, Xiaoping Xiong, John J. Doyle, Melissa A. Alderfer. "Complementary therapies for children undergoing stem cell transplantation : Report of a multisite trial." Published Online: Jul 12 2010 DOI: 10.1002/cncr.25415
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