Course Overview

Integrative Oncology: Support During Cancer Care

This session will cover Integrative Oncology services and/or its component therapies, such as mind body therapy, acupuncture, diet, and dietary supplements, alongside conventional cancer treatments to optimize health, quality of life, and clinical outcomes of patients during and after cancer treatment.
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2022 Annual Conference

October 28-30, 2022

Required Lessons

1 lesson with video, quiz, and evaluation

Time to Complete

85 minutes

Non-CME Eligible*

CME For this course has expired.

Detailed Course Info

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Course Description
Learning Objectives
Accreditation/CME
 Course Description

What is this course about?

Cancer will affect a growing number of patients and remains one of the most feared diagnoses for patients. Integrative oncology has been defined as a patient-centered, evidence-informed field of cancer care that utilizes techniques such as mind body therapy, activities such as acupuncture and therapies such as diet and dietary supplements, alongside conventional cancer treatments to optimize health, quality of life, and clinical outcomes of patients during and after cancer treatment. Evidence will be presented that supports the effectiveness of integrative oncology for this purpose. Utilization of Integrative Oncology services and/or its component therapies is widespread among cancer patients. During radiation therapy, use of complementary therapies and dietary supplements may be as high as 80% with use during care for certain high risk cancers exceeding 90%. Patients hospitalized for cancer treatment report significant use (73% in the previous month). Even during Phase I clinical trials, a third of cancer patients used supplements. In response to wide-spread demand by patients as well as evidence of effectiveness, many National Cancer Institute Centers of Excellence have added Integrative Oncology (IO) services to their programs. In fact, a recent study has suggested that in centers where IO has been added, the outcomes of breast cancer patients, including increased 5-year survival is improved. Of the wide variety of therapies utilized by patients, a number have been studied in randomized controlled trials and will be discussed in this presentation. Modalities such as acupuncture and massage therapy have shown benefit for pain. Mind-body therapy has relieved anxiety as has psychosocial support. Dietary supplements have been tested and shown benefit for treatment-related co-morbidities. Cancer related fatigue and sleep quality have been improved with herbal therapy. Chemotherapy related conditions, such as nausea, mucositis, neuropathy and treatment related diarrhea have been mitigated by use of a variety of supplements. Safety of integrative interventions is naturally a concern for oncologists and their patients. Potential situations of risk will be elaborated and the evidence support safe use will be addressed. Herb-drug interactions is often of particular concern for physicians and information on how to assess this risk will be given.
 Accreditation/cme
The CME for this course has expired, however you will continue to have access to your purchased content. 
For questions about CME credit, please contact us at https://www.aihm.org/contact/. The views and opinions expressed in this activity are those of the faculty and do not necessarily reflect the views of the University of California, Irvine School of Medicine and/or the Academy of Integrative Health & Medicine.
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 Learning Objectives

By the end of the course, learners will be able to...

  • lRecognize the symptoms and co-morbidities which are likely to respond to integrative oncology interventions.
  • Understand the evidence base supporting the use of Integrative Oncolgy modalities and supplements.
  • Describe way to assess and mitigate the risk of use of integrative modalities.

What's included in this course?

This course includes the following:
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  • Video Recording
  • Downloadable Audio
  • Speaker Handout(s)
  • Quiz
  • Evaluation
  • Certificate of Completion

Course Outline

Meet Your Faculty

Mary Hardy, MD

Mary Hardy, MD is board certified in internal medicine and a specialist in botanical and integrative medicine, who has actively combined complementary and alternative therapies with traditional Western medicine for over thirty years in both her clinical practice and research projects. She attended medical school in her hometown, New Orleans, at Louisiana State University. She completed her internship and residency in Internal Medicine at Tufts New England Medical Center. In 1998, Dr. Hardy founded the Integrative Medicine Clinic at Cedars-Sinai and participated in a NCCAM funded research project that evaluated the barriers and facilitators of Integrative Medicine practice based on her clinic. She also has extensive experience in evaluating the evidence base for the efficacy and safety of complementary/ integrative medicine as part of her work as a research associate at the RAND Corporation. Dr. Hardy served as the Associate Director of the UCLA Botanical Research Center.

Disclosure

No financial relationships with any ineligible companies to disclose.

Enroll Now!

This course is self-paced with no set beginning or end date. You may complete this course on your own schedule and pace. Enrolling in and purchasing this course grants you access to its contents in perpetuity. All required course activities must be completed to earn any eligible continuing education credit(s) and obtain a certificate of completion for this course.