Massage therapy as a supportive care intervention for children with cancer.
OBJECTIVE
To review relevant literature about massage therapy to assess the feasibility of integrating the body-based complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) practice as a supportive care intervention for children with cancer.


METHODS
PubMed, online references, published government reports, and the bibliographies of retrieved articles, reviews, and books on massage and massage and cancer. More than 70 citations were reviewed.


RESULTS
Massage therapy may help mitigate pain, anxiety, depression, constipation, and high blood pressure and may be beneficial during periods of profound immune suppression. Massage techniques light to medium in pressure are appropriate in the pediatric oncology setting.


CONCLUSIONS
Massage is an applicable, noninvasive, therapeutic modality that can be integrated safely as an adjunct intervention for managing side effects and psychological conditions associated with anticancer treatment in children. Massage may support immune function during periods of immunosuppression.


CONCLUSIONS
Pediatric oncology nurses are vital in helping patients safely integrate CAM into conventional treatment. Pediatric oncology nurses can help maximize patient outcomes by assessing, advocating, and coordinating massage therapy services as a supportive care intervention.
Hughes
Deborah
D
Division of Pediatric Oncology, Columbia University Medical Center, Morgan Stanley Children's Hospital of New York Presbyterian, New York, USA. dh493@columbia.edu
Ladas
Elena
E
Rooney
Diane
D
Kelly
Kara
K
D001007:Anxiety / Q000209:etiology; D002648:Child; D003248:Constipation / Q000209:etiology; D003863:Depression / Q000209:etiology; D005240:Feasibility Studies; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000209:etiology; D008405:Massage / Q000379:methods* / Q000451:nursing / Q000523:psychology; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000150:complications / Q000276:immunology / Q000451:nursing* / Q000523:psychology; D024802:Nurse's Role; D015403:Nursing Evaluation Research; D009859:Oncology Nursing / Q000379:methods*; D010146:Pain / Q000209:etiology; D010371:Pediatric Nursing / Q000379:methods; D002666:Psychology, Child; D011598:Psychoneuroimmunology; D012449:Safety; D012944:Social Support; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000209:etiology; D016896:Treatment Outcome