Purpose. Although the demand from patients for integrative
medicine is increasing, complementary medicine services are still quite
heterogeneous and have not been incorporated into clinical routine. The aim of
this study was to systematically evaluate improvements in side effects and
quality of life associated with a hospital-based integrative medicine program in
the modern breast cancer patient care setting. Methods. In a
cross-sectional study, integrative health counseling and treatment were
evaluated in women with breast cancer. Over a 15-month period, data for 75
patients from an integrative medicine consultancy service with standardized
operating procedures were collected at the University Breast Center for
Franconia. At baseline, the patients answered a questionnaire on their medical
history, symptoms, and the treatment goals they were hoping to achieve with
integrative medicine. In the follow-up, patient-reported outcomes related to
side effects of conventional cancer treatment and patients’ quality of life were
analyzed. Results. Among 60 patients with the therapy goal of
reducing the side effects of conventional treatment, 46 (76.7%) were successful.
Among 57 patients hoping to improve disease-related quality of life, 46 (82%)
reported success. Whereas patients with metastatic disease achieved a reduction
in the side effects of conventional therapy, quality-of-life improvements were
predominantly achieved by patients with a good treatment prognosis.
Conclusions. Breast cancer patients benefit from the
counseling and treatment provided with integrative medicine in all phases of
tumor disease. Integrative treatment services should be included as part of
patient care in clinical routine work to offer patients the maximum quality of
care and safety with complementary therapies.