Massage therapy has been gaining more respect as a viable method for treating cancer patients. The practice was further validated recently when it became the cornerstone of a new program managed by Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center (MSKCC), generally considered to be one of the world's top-ranked cancer hospitals. 
 
Sloan-Kettering is the world's oldest, and largest, private institution devoted to cancer treatment. It recently was ranked as the top cancer hospital in the United States for the seventh consecutive year by U.S. News and World Report magazine. 

Despite its lofty reputation, Sloan-Kettering officials thought they could improve the quality of treatment to their patients. As a result, the institution established its Integrative Medicine Service (IMS) in April, 1999, for the purpose of upgrading the overall quality of life of cancer patients and their families. Complementary therapies offered include many types of massage,
spiritual healing, art and music therapy, acupuncture, hypnotherapy, meditation, guided imagery and visualization, yoga, tai chi, nutritional counseling, and other services.
"Our focus will be on finding ways to help patients as they are treated for cancer, to enhance their quality of life by reducing stress and relieving pain or other symptoms," says Dr. Barrie Cassileth, who heads the program. "There is a lack of solid, important research in this area, and we hope to change that with an interdisciplinary focus unique to Memorial Sloan-Kettering."
 
The Integrative Medicine Service is offered in three separate buildings: the Integrative Medicine Outpatient Center on East 65th Street (opened in November, 1999); the Rockefeller Outpatient Pavilion on East 53rd Street in the heart of Midtown Manhattan (opened in July, 1999); and the main hospital itself, on 68th St. and York Avenue. Each facility offers massage therapy. Although the other services offered at each place vary somewhat, their treatment philosophies remain the same.

To see first-hand how the Integrative Medicine Service operates, I recently spent an afternoon at the 53rd Street building. On the outside, it looks like a standard New York City office building, and most of the floors inside resemble a standard medical building found anywhere in the United States. But the 11th Floor, where the Integrative Medicine Center is located, is different. Its main lobby resembles a hotel lobby, with soft, rich lighting; a thick carpet and deep, plush armchairs. Other amenities include a library, a small conference table, and a computer that guests can use to do online research on cancer treatments.