Rodich on How Oncologists Can Discuss Integrative Medicine for Breast Cancer

“You don’t by any means have to be an expert in this field, but having open conversations with patients will go a long way.”

Lillian Rodich, MSPAS, MPH, a physician assistant on the Integrative Medicine and Wellness Service team at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, discussed the increasingly important role of integrative medicine in the treatment of patients with breast cancer.

Rodich began by explaining that the topic of integrative medicine approaches—which include acupuncture, diet, nutrition, exercise, stress reduction, and herbal supplements—is no longer only of interest reserved to a minority of patients. Instead, she argued that many patients now expect these discussions to be initiated early in their treatment decision-making. To meet this growing demand, she emphasized that health care providers must develop a baseline comfort level when discussing these options. She asserted that although not everyone needs to be a specialist in the field, having open conversations is essential for maintaining patient trust and engagement. This proactive approach is vital for ensuring patients are directed toward reputable sources, as a lack of guidance from established providers often leads patients to seek information from potentially unreliable external sources, she reported.

Rodich noted the importance of distinguishing between integrative medicine from alternative medicine when counseling patients. She explained that although alternative medicine is frequently misinterpreted as a replacement for standard therapy, integrative medicine focuses on a synergistic approach that integrates standard-of-care (SOC) treatment strategies with various modalities intended to manage treatment-related symptoms and adverse effects. Beyond symptom management, Rodich suggested that these integrative strategies might even improve the effects of the primary SOC treatments.

Finally, Rodich addressed the common clinical assumption that a patient’s interest in integrative medicine implies a rejection of conventional medical interventions. She clarified that most patients are not looking for an alternative to their treatments, but are instead seeking the concurrent use of safe, integrative approaches alongside their prescribed therapies. By validating these requests and bridging the gap between conventional and integrative practices, medical oncologists can offer a more holistic, patient-centered experience that aligns with modern patient expectations, she concluded.