New Program Combines Conventional, Nonconventional Cancer Therapies

Lorenzo Cohen, Ph.D., has been named director of the newly formed integrative medicine program in the division of cancer medicine, and chief of the integrative medicine section in the department of palliative care and rehabilitation medicine at The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center.

The program’s mission is to be at the forefront in clinical delivery and research in complementary and integrative courses that show promise of improving outcomes for cancer patients, and to provide educational resources on complementary medicine to patients and health care providers. Some courses will help patients manage the symptoms of cancer and its treatment by incorporating complementary forms of therapy such as massage, music therapy, meditation, yoga and self-hypnosis, with conventional cancer treatments.

Interest in various complementary therapies has increased dramatically in recent years. A study at M.D. Anderson revealed that eight out of 10 patients undergoing conventional cancer treatment had also used at least one form of complementary or alternative therapy, often without informing their physician.

Cohen said research is vital to determining which options are safe and effective for cancer patients and won’t interfere with conventional treatment.

The program will provide direction, support and resources for research of complementary therapies being conducted throughout the institution and as it expands, will initiate a number of research projects including mind-body based trials, natural products research and acupuncture trials.

Delivery of care and education are also important aspects of the new program. When it first opened in 1998, Place ... of wellness, M.D. Anderson’s complementary care center, was the first complementary therapy facility on the campus of a comprehensive cancer center. Now under the direction of the integrative medicine program, Place ... of wellness offers more than 75 complementary therapy program opportunities each month.

M.D. Anderson’s Complementary and Integrative Medicine Education Resources Web site, http://www.mdanderson.org/departments/cimer, established in 2001, is one example of the educational resources the program provides. The site, which averages more than 30,000 hits per month and targets external health care professionals, patients and the general public with pages in both English and Spanish, contains evidence-based information and detailed scientific reviews for patients and health care staff on complementary therapies for cancer and links to other authoritative resources.

“Integrative medicine is an approach that looks at all aspects of each patient – physical, psychological and physiological – to plot a course of treatment that is best for his or her individual need,” Cohen said. “As our integration with patient care teams strengthens, we will be able to offer every patient complementary therapies that will work with other prescribed treatments.”

Cohen is involved in research that assesses the psychological, behavioral and physiological aspects of cancer treatment to better understand the progression of the disease and improve patient quality of life. He is particularly interested in examining different types of complementary programs that can be easily incorporated into traditional treatment to decrease the psychological and physiological side effects associated with treatment.

Cohen, an associate professor in the department of behavioral science, joined the M.D. Anderson faculty in 1997, and has held a joint appointment as an assistant professor of behavioral sciences at The University of Texas School of Public Health at Houston since 1998. He is a member of the American Psychological Association, The Society of Behavioral Medicine and the American Psychosomatic Society.

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©2006 Texas Medical Center

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