October 2015

More and more Americans are embracing complementary medicine to help manage their illnesses alongside conventional therapies, and in oncology, nurses know well how important these interventions can be to improving patient and survivor quality of life.

Cancer centers throughout the country are faced with an increased demand for cancer care and a shrinking oncology workforce.1 As a result, institutions are struggling to find innovative ways to deliver patient-centered quality care in a cost-effective manner.

More people than ever are using complementary and integrative therapies (CIT) to manage their illnesses in addition to conventional treatments.

"What's your opinion about using hair color?" I asked my doctor shortly before beginning chemotherapy. "I don't have an opinion," he said. "Talk to one of the nurses."

Research has demonstrated that integrating palliative care early for patients with advanced cancer improves outcomes such as quality of life, mood, patient satisfaction, prognostic understanding, health service use, and survival.

How can it be lung cancer? asked my neighbor. I don't smoke. My 36-year-old neighbor added that she's never smoked, and in fact, has never even taken a single puff of a cigarette.