The Canadian/US Integrative Oncology Study

NCT ID: NCT02494037

Last Updated: 2023-12-14

Study Results

Results pending

The study team has not published outcome measurements, participant flow, or safety data for this trial yet. Check back later for updates.

Basic Information

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Recruitment Status

COMPLETED

Total Enrollment

400 participants

Study Classification

OBSERVATIONAL

Study Start Date

2015-01-01

Study Completion Date

2023-12-01

Brief Summary

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This study describes the survival outcomes of advanced stage breast, colorectal, ovarian and pancreatic cancer patients receiving advanced integrative oncology (AIO) treatment at participating North American integrative oncology clinics. This study also aims to describe the integrative treatments recommended by naturopathic doctors (NDs) for these participants alongside their conventional care treatments. Sub-studies will evaluate health-related quality of life, cost of cancer care, and qualitative experience of care in a subset of Canadian participants.

Detailed Description

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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 care from naturopathic doctors (NDs) who are board certified in naturopathic oncology (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 oncology (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 oncology 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 advanced stage breast, colorectal, pancreatic, and ovarian cancer patients treated at multiple naturopathic oncology clinics in North America will be tracked and compared to outcomes from the SEER (Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results) database in order to address the fundamentally important question of whether or not AIO has a beneficial impact on survival. Involvement of a total of twelve 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 enhance the generalizability for AIO across North America.

Conditions

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Breast Neoplasms Colorectal Neoplasms Pancreatic Neoplasms Ovarian Neoplasms

Study Design

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Observational Model Type

CASE_ONLY

Study Time Perspective

PROSPECTIVE

Eligibility Criteria

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Inclusion Criteria

* A new patient coming in for a first office call (FOC) with a participating site investigator for their cancer or a current patient whose FOC with a participating investigator for their cancer was after study start date of January 1, 2015
* ≥18 years of age
* Able to understand study design and provide signed informed consent to enrollment
* Confirmed diagnosis of one of the following cancers: stage 4/metastatic breast, stage 4/metastatic colorectal, stage 3 or 4/metasatic ovarian, or stage 3 or 4/metastatic pancreatic
* Canadian participants with a visit \<3 months post-FOC are eligible for the HRQOL sub-study
* Participants must be governed by the laws of the country within which they are receiving AIO care

Exclusion Criteria

* None
Minimum Eligible Age

18 Years

Eligible Sex

ALL

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Sponsors

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Bastyr University

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

Lotte & John Hecht Memorial Foundation

OTHER

Sponsor Role collaborator

The Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine

OTHER

Sponsor Role lead

Responsible Party

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Responsibility Role SPONSOR

Principal Investigators

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Dugald Seely, ND, MSc

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Canadian College of Naturopathic Medicine

Leanna Standish, ND, PhD, FABNO

Role: PRINCIPAL_INVESTIGATOR

Bastyr University

Locations

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Naturopathic Specialists, LLC (NSL)

Scottsdale, Arizona, United States

Site Status

Hawaii Integrative Oncology, Lokahi Health Center, Inc. (LHC)

Kailua, Hawaii, United States

Site Status

Salish Cancer Center (SCC)

Fife, Washington, United States

Site Status

Seattle Integrative Cancer Center

Seattle, Washington, United States

Site Status

Advanced Integrative Medical Science (AIMS) Institute

Seattle, Washington, United States

Site Status

Bastyr Center for Natural Health

Seattle, Washington, United States

Site Status

Tree of Health Integrative Medicine

Woodinville, Washington, United States

Site Status

Integrated Health Clinic Cancer Care Centre

Fort Langley, British Columbia, Canada

Site Status

Vital Victoria Naturopathic Clinic Ltd.

Victoria, British Columbia, Canada

Site Status

HealthSource Integrative Medical Centre

Kitchener, Ontario, Canada

Site Status

Ottawa Integrative Cancer Centre (OICC)

Ottawa, Ontario, Canada

Site Status

Marsden Centre for Excellence in Integrative Medicine

Vaughan, Ontario, Canada

Site Status

Countries

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United States Canada

Other Identifiers

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3974

Identifier Type: -

Identifier Source: org_study_id