Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Observational Study
. 2017 Mar;16(1):85-95.
doi: 10.1177/1534735416649034. Epub 2016 May 26.

Breast Cancer Integrative Oncology Care and Its Costs

Leanna J Standish  1 , Fred Dowd  1 , Erin Sweet  1 , Linda Dale  1 , Morgan Weaver  1 , Barbara Osborne  1 , M Robyn Andersen  2
Affiliations
Observational Study

Breast Cancer Integrative Oncology Care and Its Costs

Leanna J Standish et al. Integr Cancer Ther. 2017 Mar.

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.

Keywords: breast cancer; community oncology care; costs; integrative oncology care; naturopathic medicine.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting Interests: The author(s) declared no potential conflicts of interest with respect to the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article.

References

    1. Standish LJ, Sweet ES, Novack J, et al. Breast cancer and the immune system. J Soc Integr Oncol. 2008;6:158-168. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Standish LJ, Wenner CA, Sweet ES, et al. Trametes versicolor mushroom immune therapy in breast cancer. J Soc Integr Oncol. 2008;6:122-128. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Standish LJ, Alschuler L, Ready AB, Torkelson CJ, Sivam G, Wenner C. Botanical and mycological medicine in integrative oncology. In: Abrams D, Weil A. eds. Integrative Oncology. London, UK: Oxford University Press; 2014:104-146.
    1. Torkelson CJ, Sweet E, Martzen MR, et al. Phase 1 clinical trial of Trametes versicolor in women with breast cancer. ISRN Oncol. 2012;2012:251632. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Herman PM, Dodds SF, Longue MD, et al. IMPACT-Integrative Medicine PrimAry Care Trial: protocol for a comparative effectiveness study of the clinical and cost outcomes of an integrative primary care clinic model. BMC Complement Altern Med. 2014;14:132. - PMC - PubMed

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources