Cancer Type Handbooks

Integrative approaches combine conventionalthe cancer care offered by conventionally trained physicians and most hospitals; examples are chemotherapy, surgery, and radiotherapy care,  self carelifestyle actions and behaviors that may impact cancer outcomes; examples include eating health-promoting foods, limiting alcohol, increasing physical activity, and managing stress, and 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 psychosocial therapy, and acupuncture care to produce your best possible outcomes.

Handbooks are available for individual cancer types, for some treatment approaches, for many side effects and symptoms common with cancer, and for body terrain topics.

Handbooks for cancer types

We’re building further handbooks on broad cancer types. While we’re assembling the new handbooks, we share these from our predecessor site, Beyond Conventional Cancer Therapies.

Resources for other cancer types

Gynecological cancer

Ben-Arye E, Samuels N, Lavie O. Integrative medicine for female patients with gynecologic cancer. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2018 Sep/Oct;24(9-10):881-889.

Lung cancer

Frenkel M, Slater R, Sapire K, Sierpina V. Complementary and integrative medicine in lung cancer: questions and challenges. Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine. 2018 Sep/Oct;24(9-10):862-871.

Pancreatic cancer

Frenkel M, David A, Sapire K, Hausner D. Complementary and integrative medicine in pancreatic cancer. Current Oncology Reports. 2023 Mar;25(3):231-242.

Find complementary therapies for each cancer type

You can search for therapies showing benefit for a specific cancer type in our Supplement and Therapies Database. Select a cancer type from the filters along the left side of the page. Supplement and Therapies Database ›

Integrative approaches to cancer treatment

We’re building further handbooks on integrative approaches to cancer treatment.

Integrative, Whole-Person Care: Envisioning Its Potential to Transform the Cancer Journey

CancerChoices advisor Wayne B. Jonas, MD, discusses how integrative, whole-person care can change the journey of a person with cancer in terms of treatments and outcomes, quality of life, and emotional impacts.

Play video

Managing symptoms and side effects

Handbooks on further side effects and symptoms are available on our predecessor site, Beyond Conventional Cancer Therapies:

We’re updating these handbooks and building further handbooks on managing side effects and symptoms.

Body terrain

Learn about what your body terrain is and how it’s related to cancer, cancer treatments, survival, cancer risk, and symptoms and side effects common with cancer.

Complete handbooks

Nutrient deficiencies

Levels of some nutrients also impact your response to cancer or cancer treatments, other body terrain factors, and/or your experience of side effects or symptoms common with cancer.

Vitamin C levels

Blood levels of vitamin C are linked to survival, inflammation, diabetes/prediabetes (a risk for cancer and worse cancer outcomes), body weight, bone health, blood pressure, depression, and risk of cancer.

Read about the connections in Vitamin C: Oral Use ›

Vitamin D levels

Blood levels of vitamin D are linked to survival, inflammation, diabetes (a risk for cancer and worse cancer outcomes), body weight, and lower risk of cancer. Optimal levels are also linked to fewer or less severe side effects common during cancer treatment.

Vitamin D ›