Telerehabilitation-Based Dance Therapy in Pediatric Cancer

May 13, 2026 updated by: Akdeniz University

Effects of Telerehabilitation-Based Dance Therapy on Motor Proficiency, Quality of Life, Participation, and Motivation in Pediatric Cancer: A Randomized Controlled Trial

Childhood cancer requires prolonged and intensive treatment, resulting in significant biopsychosocial challenges for affected children and their families. During and following treatment, children frequently experience impairments in fine and gross motor skills, reduced physical capacity, emotional difficulties, and decreased participation in daily activities. Within the framework of the International Classification of Functioning, Disability and Health for Children and Youth (ICF-CY), these impairments in body structure and function may negatively influence activity, participation, and overall quality of life.

Dance therapy is a holistic rehabilitation approach that integrates rhythm, structured movement, and emotional expression to enhance motor performance, body awareness, and psychosocial well-being. Emerging evidence suggests that dance-based interventions may contribute to improved pain management, psychological resilience, and emotional health in pediatric oncology populations. However, access to structured physical activity programs remains limited due to treatment-related fatigue, infection risk, travel burden, time constraints, and financial costs.

Telerehabilitation may overcome these barriers by delivering therapy remotely, thereby improving accessibility, reducing logistical constraints, and ensuring continuity of care.

The aim of this randomized controlled trial is to evaluate the effects of an 8-week telerehabilitation-based dance therapy program (twice weekly, 35-40 minutes per session) on fine and gross motor skills, health-related quality of life, participation in home, school, and community settings, and motivation in children undergoing or recently completing cancer treatment.

Study Overview

Status

Not yet recruiting

Conditions

Intervention / Treatment

Detailed Description

Children diagnosed with cancer frequently experience persistent biopsychosocial difficulties during and after treatment. Common symptoms include fatigue, pain, gastrointestinal disturbances, emotional distress, reduced motivation, and social isolation, all of which negatively affect health-related quality of life. In addition, both the disease process and treatment-related side effects may lead to impairments in fine and gross motor skills, thereby limiting activity performance and participation in daily life.

Rehabilitation and structured physical activity programs have been shown to be safe and beneficial for pediatric oncology populations, with positive effects on fatigue, physical functioning, and overall well-being. Dance therapy is a movement-based intervention that combines structured physical activity with rhythmic stimulation and emotional expression. It aims to enhance motor proficiency, body awareness, emotional regulation, and social participation. Although preliminary evidence suggests that dance- or music-based interventions may reduce anxiety and pain while improving mood in children with cancer, randomized controlled trials evaluating dance therapy as a structured exercise modality in pediatric oncology are lacking.

Access to in-person rehabilitation services may be restricted due to transportation challenges, financial burden, infection risk, and treatment-related fatigue. Telerehabilitation provides a feasible alternative by delivering remote, technology-supported therapy that improves accessibility, reduces logistical barriers, and promotes continuity of care. Emerging evidence indicates that telerehabilitation is both feasible and acceptable for children undergoing or completing cancer treatment.

This randomized controlled trial aims to evaluate the effectiveness of an 8-week telerehabilitation-based dance therapy program delivered twice weekly for 35-40 minutes per session. The primary focus is to assess changes in fine and gross motor proficiency. Secondary outcomes include participation in home, school, and community activities, health-related quality of life, and motivation. The study population consists of children aged 6-14 years with a history of childhood cancer who are undergoing or have recently completed treatment.

The intervention will be delivered via WhatsApp video calls as a medium-technology telerehabilitation model. Participant and caregiver feedback regarding feasibility and acceptability will also be collected to inform the future development of more advanced, personalized telerehabilitation systems.

Telerehabilitation-based dance therapy is expected to provide an accessible, enjoyable, and sustainable rehabilitation approach that supports functional recovery and enhances participation in daily life among children with cancer.

Study Type

Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

30

Phase

  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Locations

  • Turkey (Türkiye)
      • Antalya, Turkey (Türkiye), 07100
        • Akdeniz University, Faculty of Health Sciences, Department of Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation
        • Contact:

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Ages Eligible for Study

  • Child

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Children aged 6-14 years diagnosed with a hematological malignancy or solid tumor by a pediatric oncology specialist.
  • Currently undergoing treatment or within 6 months after completion of treatment (for hematological malignancies: during maintenance therapy or ≤6 months post-treatment; for solid tumors: during treatment or ≤6 months post-treatment).
  • Medically stable and cleared by the treating clinical team to participate in moderate physical activity/dance therapy.
  • Able to stand independently and perform movements without assistive devices.
  • Access to a digital device (smartphone, tablet, or computer) equipped with a camera, audio capability, and a stable internet connection.
  • Parent/guardian able to read and write in Turkish.
  • Written informed consent from the parent/guardian and assent from the child (as appropriate for age).

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Pre-existing genetic, neurological, developmental, or motor disorders diagnosed prior to cancer diagnosis that may affect motor performance.
  • Medical contraindications to exercise (e.g., unresolved fractures, severe avascular necrosis, recent bone marrow transplantation, or other conditions restricting physical activity as determined by the treating physician).
  • Inability to maintain stable internet connectivity required for telerehabilitation sessions.
  • Previous structured dance therapy participation within the last 6 months.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: Double

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm
Intervention / Treatment
Experimental: Experimental: Telerehabilitation-Based Dance Therapy Group
Participants allocated to the experimental group will receive dance therapy delivered via WhatsApp Messenger video calls.
Other: Telerehabilitation-Based Dance Therapy Program
The intervention will be conducted twice weekly for 8 weeks, with each session lasting 35-40 minutes. The program will include structured rhythmic movements, coordination exercises, balance activities, and creative movement components designed to improve fine and gross motor proficiency, body awareness, and participation.
Active Comparator: Active Comparator: Standard Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Group
Participants in this group will receive a conventional physiotherapy and rehabilitation program delivered face-to-face.
Other: Standard Physiotherapy and Rehabilitation Group

The program will be conducted twice weekly for 8 weeks.

The standard physiotherapy program will consist of:

Strengthening exercises

Flexibility exercises

Balance training

Gait training

Coordination exercises

Each session will last approximately 35-40 minutes.
No Intervention: No Intervention Comparator: Usual Care Control Group
Participants in the control group will continue their usual daily activities and will not receive any structured physiotherapy or rehabilitation intervention during the 8-week study period. After completion of the study assessments, participants in this group will be offered the standard physiotherapy program.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) Cancer Module
Time Frame: Change from baseline to the end of the 8-week intervention period
The PedsQL Cancer Module is a validated instrument designed to assess health-related quality of life in children with cancer. Both child self-report and parent proxy-report forms will be used, as appropriate for age. The scale consists of 26 items across eight domains: pain, nausea, procedural anxiety, treatment anxiety, worry, cognitive problems, perceived physical appearance, and communication. Items are scored on a 5-point Likert scale and transformed to a 0-100 scale, with higher scores indicating better quality of life.
Change from baseline to the end of the 8-week intervention period
Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency, Second Edition - Short Form (BOT-2 SF)
Time Frame: Change from baseline to the end of the 8-week intervention period
The BOT-2 SF is a norm-referenced assessment of fine and gross motor proficiency for children aged 4-21 years. The short form consists of 14 items derived from the full version and evaluates fine manual control, manual coordination, body coordination, strength, and agility. Raw scores will be converted to standard scores and percentiles according to age norms. Higher scores indicate better motor performance.
Change from baseline to the end of the 8-week intervention period

Secondary Outcome Measures

Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Pediatric Motivation Scale (PMOT)
Time Frame: Change from baseline to the end of the 8-week intervention period
The Pediatric Motivation Scale evaluates motivation to participate in rehabilitation programs in children aged 8-18 years. The scale consists of 21 items across six domains: effort/importance, interest/enjoyment, competence, relatedness, autonomy, and value/usefulness. The first 19 items are rated on a 6-point Likert scale, with higher scores indicating greater motivation. Items 20 and 21 are open-ended and will be descriptively analyzed.
Change from baseline to the end of the 8-week intervention period
Participation and Environment Measure for Children and Youth (PEM-CY)
Time Frame: Change from baseline to the end of the 8-week intervention period
The PEM-CY is a parent-report questionnaire assessing participation and environmental factors in home, school, and community settings. It includes 25 activity types (10 home, 5 school, 10 community). For each activity, parents report participation frequency, level of involvement (5-point scale), and whether change is desired. Higher participation frequency and involvement scores indicate greater participation.
Change from baseline to the end of the 8-week intervention period

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Akdeniz University

Collaborators

The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Estimated)

May 16, 2026

Primary Completion (Estimated)

June 16, 2026

Study Completion (Estimated)

June 30, 2026

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

May 13, 2026

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 13, 2026

First Posted (Actual)

May 19, 2026

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

May 19, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

May 13, 2026

Last Verified

February 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

  • TBAEK-531

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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