Current Studies At Marsden Centre

The Canadian United States Integrative Oncology Study (CUSIOS)

NCT02494037

Currently Marsden Centre is actively recruiting patients for the CUSIOS study.

It is estimated that between 50 and 80% of cancer patients in the United States (US) supplement their conventional oncology treatment regimen with some form of complementary or alternative medicine therapy or practice. A smaller percentage of these patients receive medical treatment from naturopathic doctors (NDs) who are board certified in naturopathic cancer care (Fellows of the American Board of Naturopathic Oncology, FABNO) or have equivalent experience in caring for cancer patients and from traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) providers with advanced training in cancer care (DAOM or physicians with training in TCM). This level of care is being defined here as advanced integrative oncology (AIO). AIO clinics provide comprehensive science- and experience-based naturopathic and Chinese medical cancer care integrated with each patient’s conventional medical treatment.

Although there have been some studies of complementary and alternative medicine use by cancer patients, little is known about the effectiveness of the naturopathic medicine and TCM provided to people with cancer in an integrative setting. While there is scientific evidence supporting specific treatments that are commonly used, systematic study of their effectiveness (especially when used in combination as commonly recommended) is virtually non-existent. An early step in the evaluation of clinical outcomes associated with AIO is to take a health service approach and seek to answer the question: “Does exposure to AIO services improve the clinical outcomes of patients with advanced stage cancer?”

The survival outcome of consecutively recruited advanced stage breast, colorectal, pancreatic, and ovarian cancer patients treated at multiple naturopathic cancer care clinics in North America will be tracked and compared to outcomes published in the current medical literature and by SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results) in order to address the fundamentally important question of whether or not AIO has a beneficial impact on survival. Involvement of a total of seven active AIO clinics from Canada and the US will allow the recruitment of a sufficient sample size to address this question as well as provide outcomes that are generalizable for AIO across North America.

To find out more information on this study or to enroll contact the Marsden Centre CUSIOS research coordinator Eric Marsden by email at: Eric.marsden@www.marsdencentre.com or by phone at 905-508-4498.