Trial Information

Parent-Delivered Massage in Paediatric Cancer

In Canadian children aged 0-19, the number of new cancer cases from 1997-2001 was on average
1,285 children per year for a total of 6,427 children over a five year period. Individual
and family responses to a child's or adolescent's cancer diagnosis and treatment include
psychological, sociocultural and biological dimensions. Parents of children with cancer can
experience severe emotional distress including anxiety and depression. Parents require
support and skills to reduce their own anxiety and distress and to help alleviate suffering
in their children.

This is a two-phase research project: phase I: development of a standardized educational
intervention on video/DVD to teach parents how to massage their child with cancer; phase II:
test the feasibility of the developed intervention with children with cancer and their
parents. A total of 24 parents and their children with cancer who are under the care of the
paediatric oncology units at the Stollery Children's Hospital (Edmonton) will be recruited
for the study.

It is hypothesized that this research on an educational program in parent-delivered massage
therapy will directly improve the lives of children with cancer and their parents.