What credentials and experiences should a trustworthy integrative cancer care program have?

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DrLisaSchwartz (Physician - Oncology - Radiation (Verified) ) - 03 / 24 / 2012

Cancer programs may vary depending on the size of your medical center and the services that are available to you. Academic medical centers that are involved in cancer research often have the NCI designation “Comprehensive Cancer Center”. Just because a cancer center calls itself “comprehensive” does not necessarily mean it has this NCI designation. Smaller community cancer programs have often been accredited by the American College of Surgeons and this would be something you should ask about. A radiation oncology program should be accredited by the American College of Radiology.

There are no defined criteria for an “integrative” cancer care program. There are several things you should look for, however. One would be a physician, preferably an oncologist, who has done additional training in integrative medicine. There is an associate fellowship program in integrative medicine at the University of Arizona which was developed by Dr. Andrew Weil and is the one I have completed. A few other universities offer fellowship programs in integrative medicine so you should ask the integrative medicine physician what his or her additional training has been. In two to three years there will hopefully be a national board certification for integrative medicine physicians which will make the task of finding one infinitely easier. An integrative cancer program should emphasize evidence-based therapies that are combined with conventional therapies.
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