Current Oncology, Volume 15, Issue 12

Background: Several studies have shown that a small but significant percentage of cancer patients decline one or more conventional cancer treatments and use complementary and alternative medicine (cam) instead. Objectives: Here, drawing on the litera...

The use of complementary and alternative medicine (cam), including the ingestion of natural health products (nhps), is common among cancer patients. Of concern to clinicians and patients alike is the possibility that cam, used concurrently with biome...

Objective: Cancer patients are increasingly known to use complementary medicine (cam) during conventional treatment, but data are limited on how Canadian oncology health professionals attempt to assist patients with their use of cam in the context of...

We are pleased to present this special supplement of Current Oncology, which is generously financed by a grant from the Lotte and John Hecht Memorial Foundation. Integrative oncology is both a science and a [...]

The burden of cancer continues to increase globally, with substantial personal, societal, and economic consequences. Population growth and aging underlie this increase—a reflection of the effect of population health interventions in the last two cent...

Integrative oncology focuses on the roles of complementary therapies to increase the effectiveness of conventional cancer treatment programs by improving defined outcomes such as symptom control, quality of life, rehabilitation, and prevention of rec...

Background: Integrative oncology uses both conventional and complementary medicine to meet the needs of individual patients and to focus on the whole person. The core principles of integrative oncology include individualization, holism, dynamism, syn...

Background: To ensure the safety and effectiveness of cancer management, it is important for physicians treating cancer patients to know whether their patients are using complementary and alternative medicine (cam) and if so, why. Objective: Here, we...

Objective: In this paper, we set out to describe the personal and social contexts of treatment decisions made by cancer patients concerning complementary and alternative medicine (cam) and also the process through which cancer patients reach cam deci...

Research on the factors that promote healing of the body through mind and spirit is at a very early stage. Reliance on experimental designs seems premature; we need much more exploratory research to identify relevant variables and useful therapeutic...

Almost since its inception, the Internet has been used by ordinary people to connect with peers and to exchange health-related information and support. With the rapid development of software applications deliberately designed to facilitate social int...

Cancer can lead to spiritual transformation, which can be seen as a form of alchemy. During this process, patients, family members, and even professional caregivers can find themselves having spiritual experiences that go beyond any they had previous...

Many oncology patients are empowering themselves to self-treat with herbs, nutritional supplements, and mind–body techniques. Other practitioners, such as acupuncturists, are becoming involved in the supportive care of cancer patients. Government res...

Established in 1993 after a 2-year consultation between professionals and cancer patients, the Lynda Jackson Macmillan Centre (ljmc) has been a catalyst for change in the United Kingdom. The Centre began with a small core staff in a purpose-built bui...

Various surveys show that interest in complementary and alternative medicine (<italic>cam</italic>) is high among cancer patients. Patients want to explore all options that may help their treatment. Many cam modalities offer patients an a...

Background: Individuals have increasingly sought complementary therapies to enhance health and well-being during cancer, although little evidence of their effect is available. Objectives: We investigated (1) how an Iyengar yoga program affects the se...

The Integrating Wellness into Cancer Care conference was held at the University of Toronto, October 4–5, 2007, and was dedicated to the memory of the late Dr. Véronique Benk. This article summarizes the workshops at that conference. The notion of wel...