Pediatric Oncology: Causes, Treatments, and the Role of Integrated Medicine

Cancer is responsible for approximately 10%-12% of childhood deaths, and is second only to accidents as the leading cause of death in individuals over age 14 (Rape & Bush, 1994). There are various forms of cancer that can afflict a child and numerous ways to combat the disease. While it is important to fight the physical aspects of the disease to increase the child\u27s chance of survival, it is also important to deal with the psychological issues that accompany pediatric oncology. Various psychological treatments are available to help a child endure the emotional and physical stresses associated with chemotherapy and other medical procedures. This review paper assesses various studies that evaluate the effects of many psychological treatments aimed at reducing anticipatory nausea/vomiting and children\u27s emotional reactions to future treatments. The studies found that caring attention and emphasis on relaxing techniques to take the children\u27s minds off the pain cancer treatment is causing help the children cope with the effects that the treatment has on them both physically and emotionally