New Event – Integrative Oncology: Evidence-Based Nutrition & Lifestyle Medicine
Increasing cancer incidence and mortality is a major challenge for health professionals.1 In the United Kingdom cancer incidence for all cancers combined has increased by 12% over the last twenty years.2 Evidence-based cancer prevention, treatment, and palliative and survivorship care is a major priority.3
Integrative oncology has been defined as “a patient-centred, 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.4”
An important feature of integrative oncology are multidisciplinary teams and collaboration among health professionals involved in cancer care.5 Health professionals engaged in cancer care should be aware of integrative therapies that may be beneficial, are not helpful or are harmful, or lack evidence, so they can make informed decisions.6
‘Integrative Oncology: Evidence-Based Nutrition & Lifestyle Medicine’ brings together leading scientists and clinicians – including oncologists, medical doctors, and nutritional therapists – actively engaged in the field of integrative oncology to help inform health professionals of the state-of-the-science in this important area. Nutritional medicine is given particular emphasis, and an important theme is multidisciplinary collaboration with real-world examples and case studies.
On behalf of NMI and the British Association for Nutrition and Lifestyle Medicine (BANT), we hope you find this important event invaluable and thank you for your support.
References:
1 Sung H, Ferlay J, Siegel RL, et al. Global Cancer Statistics 2020: GLOBOCAN Estimates of Incidence and Mortality Worldwide for 36 Cancers in 185 Countries. CA Cancer J Clin. 2021 May;71(3):209-249.
2 Cancer Research UK. https://www.cancerresearchuk.org/health-professional/cancer-statistics/incidence/all-cancers-combined#heading-Four. Accessed online 20-March-2023.
3 Mao JJ, Pillai GG, Andrade CJ, et al. Integrative oncology: Addressing the global challenges of cancer prevention and treatment. CA Cancer J Clin. 2022 Mar;72(2):144-164.
4 Witt CM, Balneaves LG, Cardoso MJ, et al. A Comprehensive Definition for Integrative Oncology. J Natl Cancer Inst Monogr. 2017 Nov 1;2017(52).
5 Winters DA, Soukup T, Sevdalis N, et al. The cancer multidisciplinary team meeting: in need of change? History, challenges and future perspectives. BJU Int. 2021 Sep;128(3):271-279.
6 Greenlee H, DuPont-Reyes MJ, et al. Clinical practice guidelines on the evidence-based use of integrative therapies during and after breast cancer treatment. CA Cancer J Clin. 2017 May 6;67(3):194-232.
