Experiences and perceived benefits of remotely delivered dance/movement therapy for adult cancer patients: a multi-method program evaluation.

BACKGROUND: Dance/movement therapy (DMT) is increasingly used as a complementary treatment to address psychological and physical wellbeing. However, it is unknown how it can be leveraged in adult cancer care. This mixed methods program evaluation aimed to assess patient-reported benefits and satisfaction with the virtual DMT in an academic oncology setting. METHODS: We developed, implemented, and evaluated a 6-week virtual, synchronous DMT program aiming to improve physical health, address mental distress, and foster social connection for cancer patients. We used deidentified program evaluation data to assess impact of DMT on patient-reported outcomes and patients' satisfaction with the DMT program. Pre- and post-session data were analyzed using descriptive statistics and a paired t-test. Qualitative data were captured through semi-structured interviews and analyzed using thematic analysis. RESULTS: Results from 39 participants (mean age 64.7 ± 9.8), majority female (89.7%) with a history of breast cancer (43.6%), showed high satisfaction (100%) and unanimous program recommendation (100%). Significant improvements were noted in anxiety (- 0.42 ± 0.76, p = .009), distress (- 0.35 ± 0.80, p = .036), and sense of joy (0.73 ± 1.18, p = .004), with a non-significant trend in increased physical activity (0.38 ± 0.98, p = .057). Thematic findings indicated that DMT participation (1) facilitated engagement in physical activity for improved physical health, (2) fostered creative expression, (3) improved mental state, and (4) helped build social connections and support. CONCLUSION: Our DMT program shows promise as a component of integrative cancer care. The mixed-method evaluation provides insightful information to generate hypotheses for future RCT studies aiming to evaluate the specific effects of DMT on patient experience and outcomes.

Utilization, Delivery, and Outcomes of Dance/Movement Therapy for Pediatric Oncology Patients and their Caregivers: A Retrospective Chart Review.

Children with cancer and their caregivers face physical and psychosocial challenges during and after treatment. Dance/movement therapy (DMT) has been used to improve well-being, promote healthy coping, and mitigate the impact of illness, but limited knowledge exists regarding DMT utilization, delivery, and outcomes in pediatric oncology. This retrospective study aimed to identify reasons for referral to DMT, DMT visit characteristics, key DMT techniques and processes, and clinician-reported outcomes. We examined the electronic medical records of 100 randomly selected pediatric patients (resulting in 1160 visits) who received DMT services between 2011 and 2021. Sociodemographic, clinical, and visit characteristics, referral reasons, and clinician-reported outcomes were reported as frequency and proportions. Qualitative thematic analysis was used to identify key DMT techniques and processes. Among 100 patients (63% female, aged 0-27 years), 77.9% were referred for psychological distress and 19.6% for pain. Two distinct DMT approaches were used during visits: a traditional DMT approach (77%) and a multisensory DMT approach (23%). The most common visit length was 15-25 min (41.6%), followed by sessions of 30-45 min (22.5%) and ≤10 min (18.1%). A total of 61.9% of DMT visits were inpatient and 38.1% outpatient. Of all visits, 8.8% were new and 91.2% were follow-ups. Caregivers were engaged in treatment in 43.7% of visits, and 5.5% of visits focused entirely on the work with the caregiver. DMT intervention focused on self-expression, emotional self-regulation, coping strategies, socialization, and caregiver-child interaction. Clinician-reported outcomes included enhanced coping with hospital experience (58%), improved pain management (27%), improved self-regulation (21%), and increased physical activation (13.2%). The results suggest DMT as a supportive intervention for psychological distress and pain management in pediatric oncology patients and provide insights into DMT practices and outcomes to guide intervention development and future research.

A rare cause of seizure masquerading as neoplasm.

The authors report the case of a young man with no significant medical history who presented with new-onset seizure and mass-like lesions isolated to the left cerebral hemisphere relating to malignancy. Biopsy revealed findings consistent with angiitis and investigations for secondary causes of angiitis was negative. The diagnosis of primary angiitis of the central nervous system was made and the patient has responded well to treatment.