Each year, I return to City of Hope in Duarte for my annual follow-up after successfully receiving cryoablation for my early-stage breast cancer in 2019. This year, I was ecstatic to see the many changes incorporated with the completion of The Cherng Family Center for Integrative Oncology.
Integrative oncology combines standard medical treatments with more natural lifestyle therapies. Throughout the beautiful new facility, I saw flyers and posters promoting yoga, tai chi and plant-based nutrition classes for patients. I enjoyed a nutritious vegetarian spring roll at their new Nourish Café. And, most importantly, I had a completely different conversation with my doctor who seemed newly versed in the science behind lifestyle medicine.
With my imaging clear and even benign cysts appearing reduced in size, lifestyle was the only thing to discuss. My doctor shared the science-based benefits of vitamin D, aerobic exercise and antioxidant foods like blueberries, and emphasized the importance of avoiding sugar and minimizing caffeine—all practices I adopted during treatment and continue today. She also shared that she personally started a keto diet and understood both the challenges and benefits such lifestyle choices can bring.
The Cherng Family Center was made possible by a $100 million gift from philanthropists Peggy and Andrew Cherng, founders of Panda Express and the Panda Charitable Family Foundation. With a focus on eastern and western medicine, a key mission of the center is to develop multidisciplinary approaches that combine standard medical treatments like chemotherapy, radiation and surgery with holistic modalities such as nutritional therapy, mind-body practices, acupuncture and herbal medicine.
According to information provided by City of Hope, an estimated 40% of cancer patients use integrative therapies annually to address disease and chronic issues, such as pain.1 “However, few health care organizations — let alone cancer centers — provide access to integrative therapies under physician supervision, much less use them holistically in treatment for patients with cancer.”
Their goal is to make integrative oncology an evidence-based, interwoven standard of care that supports optimal cancer treatment and survivorship. They are working to reshape the future of cancer care by improving access to whole-person therapies, advancing research on complementary therapies and training the next generation of clinicians in this field.
This incredible news is music to my ears. In 2016, I interviewed Radical Remission: Surviving Cancer Against All Odds author Kelly Turner, PhD, and learned of thousands who beat cancer through integrative care. Then I became one of them.
With renowned institutions like City of Hope leading the way, integrative oncology is certain to become the standard of care for those in treatment, as well as for cancer prevention and survivorship.
Lauren Del Sarto is founder and publisher of Desert Health and can be reached at
Lauren@DesertHealthNews.com. For more information, visit www.CityofHope.org. Search Lauren’s Cancer Journey.
Reference: 1) https://ascopubs.org/doi/full/10.1200/JCO.22.01357
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