This post was originally published on our predecessor site, BCCT, in January 2021.
Two years ago in a blog post, BCCTBeyond Conventional Cancer Therapies (predecessor website to CancerChoices)/CancerChoices remarked: “Integrative Cancer Care: How Far We’ve Come!” Then it was about the American Society for Clinical Oncology’s (ASCO) endorsement of the Society for Integrative Oncology’s (SIO) clinical practice guidelines, “Integrative Therapies During and After Breast Cancer Treatment: ASCO Endorsement of the SIO Clinical Practice Guideline.” We thought that was a big deal.
We hoped then that the growing evidence base for complementaryin cancer care, complementary care involves the use of therapies intended to enhance or add to standard conventional treatments; examples include supplements, mind-body approaches such as yoga or psychosocialtherapy, and acupuncture therapies, along with patient interest and demand, would continue to bring ASCO and SIO closer to working on a common goal of providing person-centered care in a more integrativein cancer care, a patient-centered approach combining the best of conventional care, self care and evidence-informed complementary care in an integrated plan way. Now we see that hope one step closer to realization.
The guidelines themselves will be incredibly helpful to patients and clinicians.
On October 27, 2020, SIO announced “The Society for Integrative Oncology … is collaborating with the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (ASCO®), the world’s leading professional organization of its kind representing oncology professionals who care for people living with cancer, to develop a series of evidence-based clinical practice guidelines for integrative therapies in oncology care. The guidelines … will provide clinicians and patients much-needed guidance on safely and effectively treating common cancer symptoms and side effects using integrative approaches.”1Announcement of SIO/ASCO collaboration on two more evidence based guidelines in 2021-22. Society for Integrative Oncology. October 27, 2020. Viewed January 26, 2021; this page has been removed from the SIO website.
BCCTBeyond Conventional Cancer Therapies (predecessor website to CancerChoices)/CancerChoices thinks this genuine collaboration is an even bigger deal. The guidelines themselves will be incredibly helpful to patients and clinicians. On a broader level, the collaboration represents the ongoing deepening fusion of conventional and integrative oncology. ASCO and SIO are the right institutions to clear a path to whole person-centered cancer care.
The collaboration represents the ongoing deepening fusion of conventional and integrative oncology.
Realistically, because the primary clinical audience will be conventionalthe cancer care offered by conventionally trained physicians and most hospitals; examples are chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy practice physicians who are open to an integrativein cancer care, a patient-centered approach combining the best of conventional care, self care and evidence-informed complementary care in an integrated plan approach, BCCTBeyond Conventional Cancer Therapies (predecessor website to CancerChoices)/CancerChoices expects that these guidelines will be at the conservative end of the integrative cancer spectrum. Similar to SIO’s other clinical practice guidelines, these will likely include only those therapies tested in randomized controlled trialsa study design in which people are randomly assigned to either an experimental group or a control group to compare the outcomes from different treatments; an RCT is considered a strong design for determining a therapy’s effects—a reasonable approach given the target audience.
We welcome the vital progress of SIO and ASCO as they move toward integrativein cancer care, a patient-centered approach combining the best of conventional care, self care and evidence-informed complementary care in an integrated plan cancer care that will reduce suffering and improve outcomes. As these guidelines are published, they will make their way into CancerChoices’ reviews alongside their predecessors in our cancer handbooks and therapy summaries. We eagerly await their completion.
We know that skillful integrative oncologists use not only evidence-based but also evidence-informed therapies that may not appear in these guidelines. We recognize that the forward edge of integrative care will always rest with patients and clinicians and researchers who are defining the new frontiers. But these collaborative guidelines are an important step forward in the field of cancer care.
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The CancerChoices staff blend a wide array of medical and research experience, including training and practice in conventional and naturopathic medicine. Laura Pole has decades of experience in oncology nursing care, participation in cancer retreats, and patient navigation. Andy Jackson is a practicing physician with training in research methods and experience in medical education. Nancy Hepp and Maria Williams are trained and experienced researchers and writers.
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