• Eran Ben-Arye, Dana Elly, Noah Samuels, Orit Gressel, Katerina Shulman, Elad Schiff, Ofer Lavie, and Amir Minerbi.
• Integrative Oncology Program, The Oncology Service, Lin, Carmel, and Zebulun Medical Centers, Clalit Health Services, 35 Rothschild St, Haifa, Israel. eranben@netvision.net.il.
• J. Cancer Res. Clin. Oncol. 2021 Aug 1; 147 (8): 2361-2372.

Context And ObjectivesThe present study examined the impact of an integrative oncology treatment program in the relief of pain in patients undergoing chemotherapy and/or palliative care.MethodsIn this pragmatic prospective controlled study, patients undergoing chemotherapy and/or palliative care were referred by their oncology healthcare providers to an integrative physician (IP) consultation, followed by weekly integrative treatments. Patients attending ≥ 4 sessions during the first 6 weeks of the study were considered to be highly adherent to integrative care (AIC). Pain was assessed at baseline and at 6 and 12 weeks using the ESAS (Edmonton Symptom Assessment Scale) and EORTC QLQ-C30 (European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire) tools.ResultsOf 815 eligible patients, 484 (59.4%) were high-AIC and 331 low-AIC. Mean pain scores decreased significantly from baseline to 6 and 12 weeks in both groups. However, ESAS and EORTC pain scores improved significantly more in the high-AIC group at 6 weeks (p= 0.008), though not at 12 weeks. Between-group analysis of participants undergoing adjuvant/neo-adjuvant chemotherapy showed higher pain reduction in the high-AIC group at 6 weeks (ESAS, p = 0.006; EORTC, p = 0.046), as was the case with patients receiving palliative care (ESAS p = 0.04; EORTC p = 0.056).ConclusionsHigh adherence to integrative care was found to be associated with a greater effect on pain relief at 6 weeks but not at 12 weeks in patients undergoing chemotherapy and/or palliative care.

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