Breast Cancer Integrative Oncology Care and Its Costs

Abstract

Background. Naturopathic oncology in conjunction with conventional treatment is commonly referred to as integrative oncology (IO). Clinics directed by oncology board certified NDs (Fellows of the American Board of Naturopathic Oncology or FABNOs) provide high-quality data for describing IO therapies, their costs and measuring clinical outcomes. Purpose. To describe the types of IO therapies prescribed to breast cancer patients by ND FABNO physicians. Study participants (n = 324). Women who sought care at 1 of 6 naturopathic oncology clinics in Washington State were asked to enroll in a prospective 5 year observational outcomes study. Methods. Medical records were abstracted to collect treatment recommendations and cost data. Results. More than 72 oral or topical, nutritional, botanical, fungal and bacterial-based medicines were prescribed to the cohort during their first year of IO care. Trametes versicolor was prescribed to 63% of the women. Mind-body therapy was recommended to 45% of patients, and 49% received acupuncture. Also, 26% were prescribed injectable therapy, including mistletoe, vitamin B complex (12%), IV ascorbate (12%), IV artesunate (7%), and IV nutrition and hydration (4%). Costs ranged from $1594/year for early-stage breast cancer to $6200/year for stage 4 breast cancer patients. Of the total amount billed for IO care for 1 year for breast cancer patients, 21% was out-of-pocket. Conclusions. IO care for women with breast cancer consists of botanical and mushroom oral therapies, parenteral botanical and nutrient therapy, mind-body medicine and acupuncture. IO clinic visits and acupuncture are partially paid for by medical insurance companies.

Implementation of an Integrative Oncological Concept in the Daily Care of a German Certified Breast Cancer Center

“…The Education Working Group of the Consortium of Academic Health Centers for Integrative Medicine (CAHCIM) indicates IM ‘as an approach to the practice of medicine that makes use of the best-available evidence, taking into account the whole person (body, mind, and spirit), including all aspects of lifestyle' [5]. Reasons for the use and need of integrative treatment options in oncology have been described previously and include cure or prolongation of life, symptom relief from cancer and its treatment, boost of immunological functions, enhancement of physical, emotional, and or spiritual well-being, as well as maintenance of control over cancer and its treatment [6,7,8,9,10,11,12,13]. Further reasons might be the perception that IM is more natural and beneficial and will cause no harm; dissatisfaction with conventional treatment alone; and congruency between the patients' philosophical values and the paradigms proposed by IM treatment [2,14,15].…”

Family History, Genetic, and Other Cause-Related Beliefs among Breast Cancer Survivors

“…Study methods and questionnaires were approved by the Institutional Review Boards of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, Seattle, WA and Bastyr University, Kenmore, WA throughout the study's period of recruitment and follow-up 2005-2017, and continues to be reviewed by the IRO of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center. The women involved are part of a longitudinal assessment of two matched cohorts of women with breast cancer some of whom did and others of whom did not choose to include integrative oncology in their breast cancer treatment plans [20,21]. Breast cancer patients were eligible for the study if they spoke English fluently enough to complete surveys, were over age 21, and were diagnosed with breast cancer less than 2 years prior to an Integrative Oncology (IO) clinic visit, or were selected from a cancer registry based on their similarity to an enrolled IO clinic patient.…”

Medicinal mushrooms as an attractive new source of natural compounds for future cancer therapy

“…There are single-case reports [ 93 ] and Phase I clinical trial results [ 86 ] confirming that T. versicolor -based treatment may be used as a supplement to conventional anti-breast cancer therapy and lead to improvements of the immune status in immunocompromised breast cancer patients following standard primary oncologic treatment. The mushroom preparations are widely used in up-to-date integrative oncology and prescribed to patients on a regular basis [ 94 ].…”