Exploring the Roles of Patient Advocates in Integrative Oncology
Julie Deleemans, Jodi MacLeod, Eileen Fuentes, Lesley Glenn, Elizabeth Glosik, Jenny Leyh, Susan Ryan, Marianne Sarcich, and Laura Pole

The second column by SIO Leadership in the Journal of Integrative and Complementary Medicine (JICM), features, “Exploring the Roles of Patient Advocates in Integrative Oncology”, by the SIO Patient Advocate Committee. The paper is available Open Access through March 3, 2023 here. 

Read the article here. 

29-30 Jan and 12-13 Feb 2022

www.YourLifeandCancer.com

Designed for anyone who is affected by cancer, Your Life and Cancer 2022 aims to introduce you to the growing world of Integrative Medicine, combining lifestyle, complementary and conventional approaches.

Held over two weekends 29-30 Jan and 12-13 Feb 2022, Your Life and Cancer features doctors, oncologists, therapists, best-selling authors and case studies from people who have benefited from taking an integrative approach.

More than 40 cancer care experts from around the world will be online to share their knowledge and expertise and provide you with tools to improve health and vitality, help manage side effects, build resilience, manage stress & anxiety and reduce the risk of recurrence.

Register for just £40 per weekend: www.YourLifeandCancer.com/register

SIO Members can register using a discount code. To access the discount code, please log in using your SIO log in credentials.

Find out more: www.YourLifeandCancer.com

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
CONTACT: Hanna Hayden
September 19, 2022 hhayden@thereisgroup.com

New recommendations address the use of integrative therapies for pain management in cancer populations
The joint practice guideline results from a partnership between the Society for Integrative Oncology and the American Society of Clinical Oncology

WASHINGTON, D.C. (September 19, 2022)—A new joint practice guideline from the Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) and the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. (ASCO®) has been published to address gaps in healthcare providers’ knowledge of how to safely and effectively treat common cancer symptoms and side effects using integrative medicine approaches.

“Pain is a clinical challenge for many oncology patients and clinicians, and there’s a growing body of evidence showing that integrative therapies can be useful in pain management. But to date there has not been clear clinical guidance about when and when not to use these approaches,” said Heather Greenlee, ND, PhD, co-chair of the SIO Clinical Practice Guideline Committee.

SIO joined forces with ASCO to develop a clinical practice guideline on the use of integrative therapies and pain management, building off of ASCO’s existing guideline focused on cancer pain. “This new guideline takes a deeper dive on the use of integrative therapies, which is important because clinicians and patients need to have access to the latest evidence-based information to make clinical decisions,” said Jun J. Mao, MD, MSCE, co-chair of the SIO-ASCO guideline on use of integrative therapies for pain management.

Integrative oncology is a patient-centered, evidence-informed field of cancer care that utilizes mind and body practices, natural products, and/or lifestyle modifications from different traditions alongside conventional cancer treatments. Integrative oncology aims to optimize health, quality of life, and clinical outcomes across the cancer care continuum and to empower people to prevent cancer and become active participants before, during, and beyond cancer treatment.

“Practice guidelines are a critical way to ensure healthcare providers use treatments that are based on quality evidence from scientific studies that have shown the treatment to be effective and safe,” said Immediate Past Chair of the ASCO® Evidence-Based Medicine Committee, Scott T. Tagawa, MD, MS, FACP. “The guidelines focus on important concerns in patient care that greatly impact quality of life and will help equip the oncology community with the essential knowledge needed to manage integrative therapy approaches.”

The SIO-ASCO guideline was developed following a rigorous review of published literature, including literature only from randomized clinical trials—the gold standard in healthcare research. A large panel of oncology experts was convened, co-chaired by Jun J. Mao, MD, MSCE, of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center representing SIO, and Eduardo Bruera, MD, of MD Anderson Cancer Center representing ASCO. The panel reviewed existing evidence and assessed the quality of studies; once consensus was reached, recommendations were made based on the strength of the evidence available.

Among the guideline’s strongest recommendations are that acupuncture be offered to breast cancer patients experiencing joint pain related to the use of a medication common in breast oncology called aromatase inhibitors. Because there was moderately strong evidence supporting its effectiveness and its low risk of harm, the expert panel also recommended acupuncture for general cancer pain or musculoskeletal pain as well as for chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy.

The guideline also recommends the use of massage therapy for patients in palliative care or hospice who are experiencing pain.

“Clinician uptake of evidence-based treatments is always a concern, which is one of the reasons why we create practice guidelines,” said Dr. Bruera. “We are hoping that by showing the growing evidence that is out there, healthcare systems will start hiring these kinds of practitioners and insurance systems will start covering these treatments, because more and more, these are being shown to be effective at managing pain for cancer populations.”

Because the expert panel was conservative in making their recommendations, the guideline also includes areas identified as potentially relevant to cancer care but needing more research. This distinction is important because the lack of endorsement for a given therapy is not an indication that the therapy is necessarily ineffective or unsafe. Rather, it indicates that the expert panel felt the evidence was insufficient to support its recommendation. For instance, said Dr. Greenlee, more studies are needed to assess the safety and effectiveness of natural products.

To ensure patients can play a role in the treatment decision-making process and to inform their discussions about integrative therapies with their oncologists, ASCO and SIO have also posted a listing of integrative medicine patient resources on their respective websites.

“This is the first of three evidence-based guidelines for adults that SIO and ASCO are developing together, which combines the strengths of these two organizations,” added Linda E. Carlson, PhD, President of SIO. “The goal of this important collaboration is to inform as many clinicians and patients as possible about where the evidence for integrative therapies lies to support the best clinical outcomes possible for all cancer patients. And we believe this new guideline accomplishes that.”

SIO received an unrestricted grant to fund guideline development from the Samueli Foundation.

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ASCO® is a registered trademark of the American Society of Clinical Oncology, Inc. and is used with permission. ASCO is not a partner or affiliate of SIO and does not recommend or endorse any organization, product, or service.

About The Society for Integrative Oncology:
Founded in 2003, SIO is the premier multi-disciplinary international professional organization for integrative oncology. The mission of the SIO is to advance evidence-based, comprehensive, integrative healthcare to improve the lives of people affected by cancer. SIO enables communication, education, and research to occur by bringing together practitioners and researchers across professions focused on the care of cancer patients and survivors. Members share the common goals of excellent comprehensive patient care, enhancement of anti-cancer therapy, supportive care, and prevention of cancer. SIO members are part of a unique multidisciplinary community of oncologists, nurses, psychologists, social workers, nutritionists, complementary therapy practitioners, naturopathic doctors, acupuncturists, massage therapists, epidemiologists, researchers, and many other health care practitioners. Learn more at https://integrativeonc.org/, and follow us on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

Check out the latest article Cancer Network published about Dr. Mao, SIO past-president and current Board of Trustee member, on the updated guidelines from ASCO and SIO for pain management in patients with cancer.

Read more here. 

Congratulations to Judith Lacey, SIO Global Task Force Member and Board of Trustee, for contributing to the launch of the white paper on ‘Integrative Oncology and Wellbeing in Cancer Care’. Watch the live interview with A/Prof Judith Lacey and Consumer Advocate Barry Du Bois discuss the benefits of Integrative Oncology on Studio 10 here!

You can find the link to the paper here: https://bit.ly/3hBsqll

Check out Jun Mao, MD, Chief of Integrative Medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and author of the guidelines, Integrative Medicine for Pain Management in Oncology, as he speaks on the importance of the study and the implications of the findings. 

Watch the interview here.

The Executive Committee of the Society for Integrative Oncology is highlighted in the latest OpenAccessGov publication, discussing how integrative oncology is changing the way cancer care is provided.

Follow the link to learn more: https://www.openaccessgovernment.org/integrative-oncology-transforming-cancer-care-patients/150645/

Jan 5, 2023

Cross-cultural perspectives on the role of integrative oncology in palliative care

February 8, 2023

Members, click here to watch the webinar. Not a member? Join today and gain access to our member’s only recordings! 

The webinar will present a cross-cultural perspective to integrative oncology from East-Asia, India, and the Middle East. Drs. Eran Ben-Arye and Dr. Lorenzo Cohen will co-chair the session guided by a real clinical case. Dr. Kenji Watanabe from Japan will present the Kampo medicine approach; Dr. Rammanohar Puthiyedath from South-India will present the Ayurveda perspective; and Dr. Maryam Rassouli from Iran will present the unique Iranian Medicine perspective. Dr. Orit Gressel from Israel will present her own narrative as the integrative oncology physician who treated the patient on her long journey. Each of the speakers will address the patient-centered approach that includes the psycho-spiritual perspective. Audience participation will be encouraged. This webinar provides a wonderful opportunity to learn from practitioners across the world in order to improve the lives of those with cancer.

May 22, 2023

Dear SIO Community,

The Society for Integrative Oncology is an international nonprofit organization established 20 years ago to advance evidence-based, comprehensive integrative healthcare to improve the lives of people affected by cancer. We are staffed by a group of volunteer healthcare providers, researchers, and patient advocates. Due to our volunteerism business model, it is necessary to outsource full time management of our business which includes finance, accounting, human resources, event planning, legal and other needs. Since inception, SIO has frequently relied on third-party consultancy firms specializing in nonprofit management for these tasks. In 2020, the consultancy firm of Hauck & Associates (“H&A”) in Washington, DC was selected as its outside management company after completing background checks and reviewing references. H&A started in that role on January 1, 2021.  

On May 10, 2023, we learned that Graham Hauck, the principal manager at H&A, pleaded guilty in federal court to misappropriation of funds of another nonprofit organization managed by H&A. SIO quickly terminated H&A, and initiated a series of risk management measures, including securing its assets to prevent further losses; retrieving paper and electronic files and financial books and records; revoking Hauck’s access to bank accounts, internet sites, keys, credit cards and the like; arranging for new management, accounting and operations solutions to replace H&A; hiring a forensic accountant, Chess Consulting LLC, to detect any misappropriation of SIO funds and determine the amount involved; and retaining as outside counsel white collar criminal attorney, Zach Hafer at Cooley LLP (formerly with the US Attorney’s Office), Michael Sanders, a tax exempt tax attorney and professor at Georgetown Law Center and his partner, Malcolm Sandilands, a corporate attorney, both at Blank Rome LLP. We are working with conference specialists in Canada to ensure that our Banff 2023 conference is not disrupted by these developments, and with other specialists to ensure that the SIO’s other activities continue with the minimum possible adverse impact.  

Internally, SIO has appointed its first general counsel, Nelson Lin, to coordinate our legal response, which includes crisis management and supervision of recovery, while the Executive Committee of the Board of Trustees has worked continuously since learning of Hauck’s guilty plea to transfer every single management function out of his firm’s hands. That process continues, and we will make every effort to secure the return of any funds that were misappropriated from SIO; our criminal counsel has reached out to Hauck to pursue prompt restitution of any misappropriated funds.

The Board of Trustees will report progress biweekly to SIO members as it continues to investigate this matter.

We thank you for your understanding and patience and we will continue to do everything we can to resolve this in an expeditious and efficient manner. 

 Sincerely

Linda Ellen Carlson, PhD, RPsych 

President, Society for Integrative Oncology, Inc.

Oncology Peer Review On-The-Go: Recommending Patient-Reported Outcomes of Pain for Cancer Care

In this episode of “Oncology Peer Review On-The-Go”, CancerNetwork takes a look at an article publishing in early 2021 for the Journal ONCOLOGY, titled “Patient-Reported Outcomes of Pain and Related Symptoms in Integrative Oncology Practice and Clinical Research: Evidence and Recommendations.”

The piece summarizes current and validated patient-reported outcomes (PROs) specific to cancer-related pain. The piece also recommends commonly used PROs to be standardized to aid integrative oncology clinicians and researchers in both patient care and study design. For the first of 2 interviews regarding this piece, CancerNetwork spoke with 3 authors of the article, W. Iris Zhi, MD, PhD, and Ting Bao, MD, DABMA, MS, from the Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, and Xin Shelley Wang, MD, MPH, of the MD Anderson Cancer Center.

For the response perspective, CancerNetwork spoke with Linda Carlson, PhD, of the Cumming School of Medicine at the University of Calgary. Carlson expanded on the work done by Zhi and her colleagues, emphasizing the importance of understanding reliability and validity. Carlson focused on the importance of the research topic, and the impact properly validated PROs can have on patients for the cancer care team.

https://www.cancernetwork.com/view/oncology-peer-review-on-the-go-recommending-patient-reported-outcomes-of-pain-for-cancer-care

Transdisciplinary (TD) Training Opportunity in Energetics and Cancer!

We are in our 6th year of building a diverse community of transdisciplinary (TD) and translational (TL) researchers including those interested in cancer disparities and invite you to apply to our mentored program: The Transdisciplinary Research on Energetics and Cancer (TREC) Training Workshop.

The Workshop builds upon the NCI TREC Initiative and covers topics across the cancer control and T 0 -T 4 continua.

Funded by the U.S. National Cancer Institute and led by Yale University’s Dr. Melinda Irwin with a Senior Advisory Board and expert international faculty, this program builds capacity in TD and TL energetics and cancer research and is designed for early career investigators (i.e., junior faculty and postdocs). This 5-day, in  residence* Workshop places emphasis on developing and applying TD and TL competencies focused on energetics (i.e., obesity, diet and exercise) and cancer. Faculty span an array of professional disciplines, from basic scientists to clinicians to behavioral and population scientists. Formal didactic learning is integrated with one-on-one dialog and small group discussions to enable fellows to learn from each other, from faculty, and to develop a TD and TL network.

Below are a few of many testimonials as voiced by our previous cohorts.

The 6 th annual course will be held June 19-24, 2022 at Water’s Edge Resort, Westbrook, CT, U.S.A.*
Costs will be covered. 

Notification of Intent to apply (simple, informal email to dlowry@fredhutch.org) is due no later than December 15, 2021. Full application is due no later than Friday, January 14, 2022.

For more detail and to apply, visit TRECTraining.yale.edu.  Questions: contact Diana Lowry dlowry@fredhutch.org

*Travel contingent on safety allowances due to the COVID-19 pandemic. If necessary, we will conduct the 2022 Workshop virtually via Zoom, June 19-24, 2022. Decision will be made by April 1, 2022.

***** Testimonials ********

This was an amazing experience and completely unique. (Fellow)

This workshop reaffirmed my commitment to energy balance and cancer research. Connecting with experts in the field and gaining their input into developing ideas was critical. (Fellow)

This training and networking was awesome! There was clearly a cumulative effect of 6 days together. (Fellow)

The caliber of trainees and faculty is amazing. What a treat to be able to interact with this group. (Faculty)

A meeting unlike any other. Many opportunities for networking and collaboration. Highly recommend! (Fellow)

The TREC Workshop was incredibly helpful. I learned about grant writing, transdisciplinary research, and gained more knowledge in the field in one week than I could have in one year. It was a wonderful opportunity to meet experts in energy balance who are there to educate and mentor young investigators. I’ve kept in touch with a few of the faculty and co-fellows, and I hope to keep these relationships for years to come. (Fellow)

Caliber of faculty & fellows = amazing week of high-quality science, networking, career advice, collaboration! (Fellow)

High bar to meet going forward! Kudos all around! (Faculty)

The networking and collaborative opportunities at this meeting are unmatched! (Fellow)

The TREC Workshop was phenomenal. The opportunity to be in a small group setting with such important thought leaders in the field of energy balance was unique and invaluable. The curriculum was well-thought out and balanced, covering all components of this transdisciplinary field. There was also plenty of time for informal networking and brainstorming. (Fellow)

Mission Statement 

The Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) affirms the dignity, equality, and equity of all people. We recognize that all are not treated with respect, and we commit ourselves to working for justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging among both internal and external stakeholders. With this in mind, SIO and the SIO Health Equity, Inclusion & Belonging Committee (HEI&B) commit to the following core values:

• Uphold the inherent equality of persons of every race, ethnicity, sex, gender, sexual orientation, religion, ability, location, nationality, socioeconomic experience, and any other difference through respectful and kind interaction.
• Acknowledge that modern integrative oncology therapies have their roots in the health traditions of indigenous peoples of many nations, cultures, and ethnicities through the use of appropriate images, wording, and actions in all SIO activities and events.
• Practice inclusivity and belonging by inviting and welcoming members from underrepresented communities by supporting inclusion and belonging and identifying and eliminating barriers to participation.
• Create a system to continuously educate ourselves about cancer health inequities, their etiology, and how to dismantle the structural and systemic factors that sustain them. This includes exploring and monitoring our own biases and privileges.

The HEI&B Committee supports the SIO in being an inclusive, just, and diverse organization that promotes equity and belonging by taking the following actions:

• Assessing the makeup of SIO leadership and membership through demographic surveys.
• Promoting inclusion by identifying inequities within the SIO, including power inequities, and recommending changes to counter these inequities.
• Identifying justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion training and other resources for SIO members and requiring that Board members participate in such training.
• Conducting annual reviews of the SIO’s entity reports, surveys, and other assessments deemed appropriate.
• Developing and implementing a mechanism for SIO members to safely bring concerns about aggressions and microaggressions experienced within the Society.
• Supporting the SIO in creating a safe and compassionate space to work for justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and belonging.

We also acknowledge the fluidity of our understanding and commit to adapting our language and actions to our intentions as we continue to learn. We recognize that the language of health equity continues to evolve over time as our society processes current and past events. 

Gateway for Cancer Research and Society for Integrative Oncology join forces 

CHICAGO, IL (June 23, 2021) Gateway for Cancer Research^SM, a non-profit organization dedicated to funding transformational cancer research, announces a scientific collaboration with the Society for Integrative Oncology™ (SIO) to advance evidence-based integrative research.  

This new initiative has been established to identify compelling areas of inquiry in the field of integrative cancer research and to fund the talented clinician-scientists best positioned to pursue these studies. A direct path for SIO members has been established to ease the process of applying for a grant opportunity. 

“Gateway for Cancer Research and SIO share an urgent commitment to discovering integrative strategies that will make a real difference for those facing cancer,” said Michael Burton, president and CEO, Gateway for Cancer Research. “We are proud to partner with SIO to establish this promising grant program, and we are confident that our collaboration will significantly contribute to and accelerate progress for the patients we serve.”

“We are excited to collaborate with Gateway for Cancer Research to create a pathway for new integrative oncology research,” said Dr. Ting Bao, President of SIO. “This joint effort aligns perfectly with SIO’s mission to support scientifically robust research on evidence-informed integrative therapies to improve the lives of people affected by cancer and marks an important step forward in the field of integrative oncology.”

For more information on Gateway for Cancer Research please visit us at GatewayCR.org or contact us at Research@GatewayCR.org. 

For more information on the Society for Integrative Oncology, please visit our website at integrativeonc.org or contact us at graham@integrativeonc.org.

To submit an LOI, please visit the Grants Management portal at SIO Integrative Program. 

About Gateway for Cancer Research℠ 

Gateway for Cancer Research^SM is a nonprofit 501c(3) organization committed to funding innovative cancer research that helps people living with cancer to feel better and live longer as we work to end cancer as we know it. Thanks to generous underwriting, 99 cents of every dollar Gateway receives directly funds Phase I and Phase II cancer clinical trials at leading research institutions across the country and abroad. Since 1991, Gateway has supported more than 190 clinical trials and funded over $90 million in breakthrough cancer research, serving over 9,000 patients. Get involved today by visiting GatewayCR.org, like us on Facebook at facebook.com/GatewayforCR and join the conversation on Twitter at @GatewayforCR and Instagram at @GatewayforCR, #BeAGateway
 

About Society for Integrative Oncology™

Founded in 2003, SIO is the premier multi-disciplinary professional organization for integrative oncology. A 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization, SIO enables communication, education, and research to occur by bringing together practitioners from multiple disciplines focused on the care of cancer patients and survivors. Follow SIO on LinkedIn, Facebook and YouTube (@Society for Integrative Oncology), Twitter and Instagram (@integrativeonc). #integrativeonc

Click here to view this month’s digest. 

On Friday, October 16 through Saturday, October 17, 2020, SIO’s 17th International Conference (Virtual Edition) will present an exceptional opportunity to learn about new findings in integrative oncology from healthcare/scientific disciplines that have the potential to transform cancer care internationally.

The 2020 virtual theme is “COVID-19 and Integrative Oncology: Meeting the Global Challenges of Health Equity.” This special virtual edition of the conference will feature keynote, plenary and concurrent sessions, as well as workshops
highlighting the latest clinical, research and methodological issues, and offers opportunities to learn about integrative modalities within the new realm of COVID-19 and ongoing challenges of health equity.

The conference is being organized and executed through the online platform and tool, Whova. Much more to come!