Integrative and Complementary Interventions Result in Significant Positive Effect Sizes in Quality of Life and Symptom Burden among Patients with Pediatric Cancer and Other Serious Illness

Raybin JL, Montgomery KE, Skeens M, Janosy N, Mist S, Franklin H, Dieckmann NF, Hendricks-Ferguson VL, Jankowski CM. Integrative and Complementary Interventions Result in Significant Positive Effect Sizes in Quality of Life and Symptom Burden among Patients with Pediatric Cancer and Other Serious Illness. Res Sq [Preprint]. 2025 Sep 10:rs.3.rs-7208100. doi: 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7208100/v1. PMID: 40964042; PMCID: PMC12440089.

Children with cancer report intractable symptoms and endorse using complementary and integrative health interventions (CHI) without strong published evidence. We conducted a prospective study of CHI in 100 participants at two children’s hospitals. The secondary aim was to estimate outcome effect sizes. Here we report preliminary effect size estimates of CHI on quality of life (QOL) and symptom burden in pediatric participants with cancer and other serious illness. We used standardized patient reported outcome (PRO) measures in response to CHI sessions. Data were collected at baseline, pre/post CHI, and monthly up to 6 months. Outcomes were QOL and symptom burden.