The Patterson Institute at the 13th Annual INCAM Research Symposium

Naturopathic Oncology for Advanced and Metastatic Cancers: The Canadian/US Integrative Oncology Study (CUSIOS)

Mark Legacy, CCRP, our research coordinator, presented findings from the CUSIOS study. CUSIOS was an observational study with a goal of evaluating naturopathic oncology in a real-world setting. We recruited 400 people with advanced breast, colorectal, ovarian, or pancreatic cancer from 2015 – 2020. Unfortunately, we found no significant difference in survival compared to a US database of patients. However, this was a complex study with several important limitations and further research is needed to clarify the role of naturopathic medicine for cancer survival. We also gathered information from ND chart notes to describe what kinds of treatment recommendations NDs make to patients. Natural health products (nutraceuticals like vitamins or fish oil, herbal products, etc.) were recommended most often, followed by dietary recommendations and intravenous therapies. Altogether, recommendations were quite diverse but had some similarities. Patients are usually recommended several natural health products, IVC,IV mistletoe, encouraged to exercise, and nutritional counselling is often provided and is generally in line with the World Cancer Research Fund guidelines.

The results of this study should be published in May 2025, so stay tuned!

Conference Summary

The symposium was filled with interesting and thought-provoking lectures, but a few stood out to us. For the research geeks out there, the symposium included lectures and workshops on research methodology and publication practices in the field of TCIM by Dr. Jeremy Ng. Topics included open science and meta-research (these terms are defined below), and the value of these. For those musically inclined, there was a wonderful session on music therapy by Trish MacAulay. They talked about what music therapy was and when it can be used, and ended with 8 minutes of guided music therapy. We also enjoyed lectures by Dr. Andra Smith, who shared her research on mindfulness practices, and Dr. Linda Carlson, who spoke about the development of clinical practice guidelines in the field of integrative oncology.

Finally, we were fortunate to hear about the exciting work that doctors Heather Boon and Nadine Ijaz are doing with the World Health Organization (WHO), related to TCIM. Although their work is broad in nature, it begins with better-understanding what defines traditional, complementary and integrative medicine, and then what roles it can and ought to play in global healthcare.

The Value of Connection

Apart from the wonderful lectures and workshops, we think the most valuable aspect of conferences such as this is the opportunity for connection and networking with colleagues. Although the field of TCIM has grown, TCIM research in Canada is still relatively niche. There were many valuable conversations had over meals, session breaks, and cocktail hour that enhanced our knowledge of research, the collective challenges we face, as well as the successes we can celebrate. The Patterson Institute team left with new ideas, possible solutions to roadblocks, and feeling invigorated to continue our work evaluating and implementing TCIM practices in Canada.

Definitions

Open Science: the movement to make scientific research accessible to all levels of society, including other researchers, patients, and the public. It encourages aspects such as making published research articles free to read, sharing research data, providing a detailed description of how studies were conducted, and making the peer review process transparent.

Meta-Research: The study of research itself. Meta-research uses scientific methods to improve the practices, methods, and outcomes of scientific research across various fields. For example, it may examine the quality of published studies on a certain topic.