Conference to take ‘full-circle’ approach to evidence-based integrative oncology
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts
City of Hope will host Society for Integrative Oncology’s 21st International Conference from Oct. 25-27.
The conference — the theme for which is “Full-circle translational integrative oncology: From bedside to bench and back” — will feature three internationally recognized keynote speakers and three plenary sessions.
Topics will include immunotherapy and chimeric antigen receptor T-cell therapy, natural product drug discovery, and the intersection of spirituality and integrative oncology.
“We’re trying to highlight how we can bridge the gap between what we understand from a scientific, mechanistic point of view and how we can apply this understanding to integrative therapies,” conference co-chair Richard T. Lee, MD, Cherng family director’s chair for the Center for Integrative Oncology at City of Hope and medical director for the supportive and integrative oncology program at City of Hope Orange County, told Healio. “We’ll be highlighting the best science that’s occurring in the field of integrative oncology.”
Program highlights
The hybrid conference is intended to harness the scientific potential of integrative cancer therapies and develop an evidence-based standard of care by showcasing the latest evidence in integrative oncology, as well as innovative research methodology.
“The field of integrative oncology is really starting to take off,” Lee said. “It’s been percolating for about 20 years, but now we’re starting to see a big uptick.”
The keynote speakers are:
- Stephen J. Forman, MD, director of the Hematologic Malignancies Research Institute and professor in the department of hematology and hematopoietic cell transplantation at City of Hope. Forman — recognized for his expertise in leukemia, lymphoma and bone marrow transplantation — will provide an overview of immunotherapy, with a focus on CAR T-cell therapy.
- Barry R. O'Keefe, PhD, senior scientist and head of the protein chemistry and molecular biology section at NCI. O’Keefe will discuss the role plants have played in the development of drugs such as paclitaxel, and the future possibilities for using plants in drug discovery.
- Betty Ferrell, PhD, MSN, CHPN, director and professor of nursing research and education at City of Hope. Ferrell will focus on the intersection between integrative oncology and spirituality.
Plenary sessions will focus on a variety of topics through the lens of integrative oncology. Themes will include metabolomics and nutrition, natural products and immunotherapy, integrative approaches to cancer fatigue, strategies to mitigate gastrointestinal side effects associated with cancer treatment, and the use of AI/machine learning.
“The [AI/machine learning] session will address how we incorporate these new technologies into the integrative oncology space,” Lee said. “That will be another forward-thinking session looking at the future.”
‘Open to everyone’
Several pre-conference workshops will address topics such as establishing an integrative oncology program, how to use cannabis within the clinical care spectrum, and how to attain funding for integrative oncology initiatives.
Speakers will include Jun Mao, MD, MCSE, chief of integrative medicine at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and former president of Society for Integrative Oncology; Donald I. Abrams, MD, integrative oncologist at UCSF Osher Center for Integrative Medicine; and Linda Balneaves, RN, PhD, associate dean at University of Manitoba.
More than 70 oral abstracts and about 100 posters will be presented.
The Best of SIO session will highlight the top abstracts. Research topics will include the potential uses of mistletoe in cancer care, a Chinese medicine formula for symptoms of fatigue, and a trial assessing the use of acupuncture for insomnia.
“Both clinicians and researchers will walk away having experienced a stimulating meeting covering a wide variety of topics in the field,” Lee said.
The meeting also will debut an educational — and likely delicious — lunch session titled “Food as Medicine: At the intersection of culinary cuisine and medicine.”
The session will include Tony Esnault, chef at the Michelin-starred restaurant Knife Pleat in California, and his wife and restaurant co-owner Yassmin Sarmadi. They will discuss and prepare a vegetable-based soup.
“[Esnault] is known for his vegetable dishes,” Lee said. “We’ll be talking about how you can eat healthy and it can still be very tasty. We want to teach our patients with cancer that healthy food can be enjoyable.”
Stephanie Harris, PhD, RDN, LD, professor in the department of nutrition at Case Western Reserve University’s School of Medicine, will help lead that session.
Organizers expect nearly 500 people to participate in-person or virtually. Attendees will range from physicians, nurses and researchers to patient advocates, acupuncturists and yoga therapists.
“This is probably one of the most diverse meetings you’ll ever go to,” Lee said. “It’s a fun meeting with a wide range of attendees, and it’s open to everyone.”
Registration information
To register for the conference, go to https://cme.cityofhope.org/content/21st-SIO-Conference#group-tabs-node-course-default1.
For more information, call City of Hope’s department of continuing medical education at (626) 218-5622 or send an email to cme@coh.org.
For more information:
Richard T. Lee, MD, can be reached at richlee@coh.org.
Collapse
Healio Interviews
Read more about
Click Here to Manage Email Alerts