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Integrative Oncology and Wellness Considerations in Cancer Survivorship

Integrative Oncology and Wellness Considerations in Cancer Survivorship The American Cancer Society (ACS) is pleased to contribute to this issue of JNCI Monographs on integrative oncology in the care of cancer survivors. The ACS includes integrative methods in our work to help people “stay well, get well, find cures, and fight back” through prevention and early detection initiatives; programs and services that support those diagnosed with cancer; intramural and extramural research; and advocacy at national, state, and local levels. In the context of survivorship, “staying well” includes facilitating positive personal health behaviors and evidence-based health care by providing information about nutrition, physical activity, tobacco cessation, and integrative health practices to survivors, caregivers, and health care providers (1). The Society’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines for Cancer Survivors (2) are the foundation of communication, programmatic, and advocacy efforts designed to support survivors in their ability to make healthy lifestyle choices. Resources such as the What to Eat During Cancer Treatment cookbook, The Complete Guide to Nutrition For Cancer Survivors, and the online I Can Cope—Nutrition During Treatment help survivors manage nutrition-related side effects of treatment and maintain good nutritional status. The Society’s collaboration with the American College of Sports Medicine to create the Cancer Exercise Trainer certification helps survivors identify qualified exercise professionals to assist with setting and achieving physical activity goals, and our collaboration with the LiveSTRONG at the Y program provides local expertize to support survivors in being physically active. ACS recognizes that “getting well” is not over when active treatment is completed, and that wellness includes emotional, physical, social, and spiritual domains. The Cancer Survivors Network (csn.cancer.org) provides a web-based forum for peer support among cancer patients, survivors, and their caregivers. Sharing experiences with the use of complementary and alternative methods (CAM) is among the most popular (and challenging) topics in this forum. The ACS is pilot testing Cancer: Thriving and Surviving, an online self-management program developed by Stanford University to help empower post-treatment survivors to manage their health and quality of life (QOL). The Society’s Intramural Research program is not limited to “finding cures,” but also includes a broad portfolio of observational studies of survivors’ QOL and health behaviors, including the use of integrative methods. The ACS Studies of Cancer Survivors (3) have documented the prevalence and correlates of CAM use in a large population-based sample of cancer survivors (4–6). The longitudinal component of these studies will address the prevalence, pattern, predictors, and impact of continued CAM use among long-term cancer survivors and will assess where survivors obtained information about CAM, perceived benefits of CAM use, and survivors’ self-reported reasons for using CAM. The ACS Extramural Grants department funds innovative research to advance the field of palliative care and symptom management, including integrative oncology. In addition to investigator-initiated mechanisms, the Society is also developing Requests For Applications to address how nutrition and physical activity influence survivors’ treatment, symptoms, weight, and QOL. Through Health Professional Training Grants, the Society funds clinicians and clinician-researchers working in the area of integrative oncology and has funded health professionals studying Reiki, mindfulness, acupuncture to treat hot flashes, and other integrative methods. Finally, “fighting back” includes advocacy and policy work to support survivor wellness and QoL. Specifically, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), our advocacy affiliate, has championed two federal bills and many state bills focused on addressing QOL issues of people affected by cancer. Via these efforts, ACS CAN is working to build legislative campaigns that include increasing public research funding to find better curative and palliative treatments, access to prescription drugs, and insurance coverage of treatment services including integrative methods. References 1. Cowens-Alvarado R Sharpe K Pratt-Chapman M et al.   . Advancing survivorship care through the National Cancer Survivorship Resource Center: developing American Cancer Society guidelines for primary care providers. CA Cancer J Clin . 2013; 63( 3): 147– 150. 2. Rock CL Doyle C Demark-Wahnefried W et al.   . Nutrition and physical activity guidelines for cancer survivors. CA Cancer J Clin . 2012; 62( 4): 243– 274. 3. Smith T Stein KD Mehta CC et al.   . The rationale, design, and implementation of the American Cancer Society’s studies of cancer survivors. Cancer . 2007; 109( 1): 1– 12. 4. Gansler T Kaw C Crammer C Smith T . A population-based study of prevalence of complementary methods use by cancer survivors: a report from the American Cancer Society’s studies of cancer survivors. Cancer . 2008; 113( 5): 1048– 1057. 5. Stein KD Kaw C Crammer C Gansler T . The role of psychological functioning in the use of complementary and alternative methods among disease-free colorectal cancer survivors: a report from the American Cancer Society’s studies of cancer survivors. Cancer . 2009; 115( 18 Suppl): 4397– 4408. 6. Ferrucci LM McCorkle R Smith T Stein KD Cartmel B . Factors related to the use of dietary supplements by cancer survivors. J Altern Complement Med . 2009; 15( 6): 673– 680. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png JNCI Monographs Oxford University Press

Integrative Oncology and Wellness Considerations in Cancer Survivorship

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References (6)

Publisher
Oxford University Press
Copyright
© The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.
ISSN
1052-6773
eISSN
1745-6614
DOI
10.1093/jncimonographs/lgu043
pmid
25749592
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

The American Cancer Society (ACS) is pleased to contribute to this issue of JNCI Monographs on integrative oncology in the care of cancer survivors. The ACS includes integrative methods in our work to help people “stay well, get well, find cures, and fight back” through prevention and early detection initiatives; programs and services that support those diagnosed with cancer; intramural and extramural research; and advocacy at national, state, and local levels. In the context of survivorship, “staying well” includes facilitating positive personal health behaviors and evidence-based health care by providing information about nutrition, physical activity, tobacco cessation, and integrative health practices to survivors, caregivers, and health care providers (1). The Society’s Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines for Cancer Survivors (2) are the foundation of communication, programmatic, and advocacy efforts designed to support survivors in their ability to make healthy lifestyle choices. Resources such as the What to Eat During Cancer Treatment cookbook, The Complete Guide to Nutrition For Cancer Survivors, and the online I Can Cope—Nutrition During Treatment help survivors manage nutrition-related side effects of treatment and maintain good nutritional status. The Society’s collaboration with the American College of Sports Medicine to create the Cancer Exercise Trainer certification helps survivors identify qualified exercise professionals to assist with setting and achieving physical activity goals, and our collaboration with the LiveSTRONG at the Y program provides local expertize to support survivors in being physically active. ACS recognizes that “getting well” is not over when active treatment is completed, and that wellness includes emotional, physical, social, and spiritual domains. The Cancer Survivors Network (csn.cancer.org) provides a web-based forum for peer support among cancer patients, survivors, and their caregivers. Sharing experiences with the use of complementary and alternative methods (CAM) is among the most popular (and challenging) topics in this forum. The ACS is pilot testing Cancer: Thriving and Surviving, an online self-management program developed by Stanford University to help empower post-treatment survivors to manage their health and quality of life (QOL). The Society’s Intramural Research program is not limited to “finding cures,” but also includes a broad portfolio of observational studies of survivors’ QOL and health behaviors, including the use of integrative methods. The ACS Studies of Cancer Survivors (3) have documented the prevalence and correlates of CAM use in a large population-based sample of cancer survivors (4–6). The longitudinal component of these studies will address the prevalence, pattern, predictors, and impact of continued CAM use among long-term cancer survivors and will assess where survivors obtained information about CAM, perceived benefits of CAM use, and survivors’ self-reported reasons for using CAM. The ACS Extramural Grants department funds innovative research to advance the field of palliative care and symptom management, including integrative oncology. In addition to investigator-initiated mechanisms, the Society is also developing Requests For Applications to address how nutrition and physical activity influence survivors’ treatment, symptoms, weight, and QOL. Through Health Professional Training Grants, the Society funds clinicians and clinician-researchers working in the area of integrative oncology and has funded health professionals studying Reiki, mindfulness, acupuncture to treat hot flashes, and other integrative methods. Finally, “fighting back” includes advocacy and policy work to support survivor wellness and QoL. Specifically, the American Cancer Society Cancer Action Network (ACS CAN), our advocacy affiliate, has championed two federal bills and many state bills focused on addressing QOL issues of people affected by cancer. Via these efforts, ACS CAN is working to build legislative campaigns that include increasing public research funding to find better curative and palliative treatments, access to prescription drugs, and insurance coverage of treatment services including integrative methods. References 1. Cowens-Alvarado R Sharpe K Pratt-Chapman M et al.   . Advancing survivorship care through the National Cancer Survivorship Resource Center: developing American Cancer Society guidelines for primary care providers. CA Cancer J Clin . 2013; 63( 3): 147– 150. 2. Rock CL Doyle C Demark-Wahnefried W et al.   . Nutrition and physical activity guidelines for cancer survivors. CA Cancer J Clin . 2012; 62( 4): 243– 274. 3. Smith T Stein KD Mehta CC et al.   . The rationale, design, and implementation of the American Cancer Society’s studies of cancer survivors. Cancer . 2007; 109( 1): 1– 12. 4. Gansler T Kaw C Crammer C Smith T . A population-based study of prevalence of complementary methods use by cancer survivors: a report from the American Cancer Society’s studies of cancer survivors. Cancer . 2008; 113( 5): 1048– 1057. 5. Stein KD Kaw C Crammer C Gansler T . The role of psychological functioning in the use of complementary and alternative methods among disease-free colorectal cancer survivors: a report from the American Cancer Society’s studies of cancer survivors. Cancer . 2009; 115( 18 Suppl): 4397– 4408. 6. Ferrucci LM McCorkle R Smith T Stein KD Cartmel B . Factors related to the use of dietary supplements by cancer survivors. J Altern Complement Med . 2009; 15( 6): 673– 680. © The Author 2014. Published by Oxford University Press. All rights reserved. For Permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oup.com.

Journal

JNCI MonographsOxford University Press

Published: Nov 4, 2014

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