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Synergy in Cancer Care: Strategies for Dietary Supplement Assessment in Patients with Cancer

Patients with cancer are increasingly looking to incorporate dietary supplement use for mitigation of adverse effects or for their purported anti-cancer properties. Dietary supplements, when combined with cancer therapy, should be evaluated to determine potential risks or interactions by informed health care providers. We propose to conduct a 105-minute workshop to advise clinicians and pharmacists on strategies that will improve decision-making regarding assessment of safety and integration of dietary supplements in cancer care. The workshop will commence with background information and firsthand experience provided by oncology clinicians regarding the use of dietary supplements concurrently with cancer therapy. Following the introduction, experienced integrative medicine pharmacists will discuss the utilization of various tools and resources for assessing the efficacy and safety of dietary supplements. Following this didactic portion of the workshop, the presenters will facilitate breakout sessions where participants will be assigned cases and be asked to identify drug-supplement interactions and any supplement-disease or supplement-laboratory concerns. The interactive portion of the workshop will be followed by a discussion session.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the presentation, the attendee should be able to:

  1. Discuss evidence-based approaches to evaluating dietary supplement safety and efficacy in the cancer population.
  2. Assess databases and literature to identify potential concerns related to dietary supplement use in a specific patient.
  3. Interpret information from multiple sources regarding potential interactions between dietary supplements and cancer therapies while integrating patient-specific wishes and needs
  4. Provide recommendations on specific dietary supplement use in a patient with cancer utilizing institution-specific ways of communication

Target Audience:

Healthcare professionals including clinicians and pharmacists involved in the assessment of drug interactions with cancer therapy.

Facilitators:

Dr. Jessica Warner, PharmD, BCPS is the clinical pharmacy specialist in integrative medicine at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Jessica completed a Doctor of Pharmacy degree at the Massachusetts College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences in 2019 and has practiced in various oncology settings, including in oncology infusion at DFCI, in inpatient oncology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and as the oncology pharmacist at Anna Jaques Hospital in Newburyport, MA. Jessica obtained board certification as a pharmacotherapy specialist in 2022, and her professional interests include integrative oncology, and the safe and effective use of supplements as adjuncts to standard cancer treatments.

 

 

Christy Harris is an Associate Professor of Pharmacy Practice at Massachusetts College of Pharmacy & Health Sciences in Boston with a practice site at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. She is a graduate of the University of Tennessee and completed oncology specialty residencies at University of Tennessee Medical Center in Knoxville and Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston. She is board certified in oncology pharmacy and is a part of a multidisciplinary sarcoma specialty clinic in soft tissue and bone sarcomas. Other interests in her practice include early-phase clinical trials, the Adolescent and Young Adult population, and Integrative Therapies in Cancer.

 

 

Daniel Glidden, M.S., PA-C, graduated from the Northeastern University Physician Assistant program in 2015 and worked in Emergency Medicine for the first five years of his career. He then joined the Dana Farber Cancer Institute (DFCI) in the division of Genitourinary Medical Oncology. During his time at Dana Farber, Dan became increasingly interested in the role of whole-person wellness and integrative therapies for his patients, and further developed an interest in Integrative Oncology. As a Physician Assistant at DFCI’s Zakim Center for Integrative Therapies and Healthy Living, Dan’s evolving role is designed to expand the Center’s reach by providing Integrative Oncology consultations, engaging in outreach to DFCI divisions and staff, and strengthening the academic foundation of the field.

 

Yen Nien (Jason) Hou is a pharmacist, acupuncturist, traditional Chinese medicine herbalist, and coordinator of the herb information center at the Integrative Medicine Service, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center.  He holds a Doctor of Pharmacy degree from The State University of New York (SUNY), School of Pharmacy and Pharmaceutical Sciences and completed a Postgraduate Year 1 community pharmacy residency, both in Buffalo, New York. He received Master of Science degree from the New York College of Traditional Chinese Medicine, and a Diplomate of Oriental Medicine, board-certified by the National Certification Commission for Acupuncture and Oriental Medicine.  Jason is a registered pharmacist and licensed acupuncturist in New York State.  His expertise is in the use of dietary supplements and botanical products.  Because many cancer patients use herbal supplements, there is an urgent need for reliable information on herb-drug interactions. Jason applies his experience in the areas of pharmacy and traditional Chinese medicine to consult and to educate patients and other healthcare professionals about the proper use of herbals and supplements.

Dr. Tara Berman is a medical oncologist at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, specializing in treating patients with GYN malignancies, as well as a Member of Faculty at Harvard Medical School. She serves on the Dana-Farber Clinical Faculty Council.  She is a recipient of the 2022 Gynecologic Oncology Group New Investigator Award and was a selected participant in the Society of Gynecologic Oncology Bridges Research Initiative, inaugural cohort. Prior to joining Dana-Farber, Dr. Berman helped establish the medical gynecologic oncology clinic at the Inova Schar Cancer Institute in Fairfax, VA. She was also a medical officer for the United States Food and Drug Administration on the Breast/Gyn Malignancies Team in the Office of Oncologic Disease at the Center for Drug Evaluation and Research (CDER) and served as the Integrative Oncology Liaison for CDER. Dr. Berman received her medical degree from the Sackler School of Medicine in Tel Aviv and Master of Science in Nutrition from Columbia University. She completed her internal medicine residency at Mount Sinai West in New York City and completed her Oncology Fellowship at the National Cancer Institute, National Institute of Health (NIH) in Bethesda, MD. Dr. Berman’s research interests are in integrative oncology, the tumor microbiome, and developing new treatment strategies for gynecologic cancers. She serves on the Board of the Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO).

Rachel Feaster, PharmD, BCOP, BCPS is a clinical oncology pharmacist at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center (FHCC) in Seattle, WA. She received her Doctor of Pharmacy degree from the University of Missouri-Kansas City and completed her PGY1 residency at the Veterans Affairs Puget Sound Health Care System. Rachel is currently serving as the institution’s first integrative medicine pharmacist, with a particular focus on the safe use of dietary supplements and herbal products during oncology treatment. In addition to building the new program, she is working towards development of resources, educational materials, and standardization of workflows as it relates to integrative medicine in pharmacy.