Progress in the care of cancer patients has brought out new needs that go beyond the scope of conventional medicine regularly. Integrative oncology allows patients, besides specific care, to access complementary therapies (CT); with the aim of improving in this case the quality of life and the future of the patients and to help them become actors, before, during and after the treatment of their cancer. As for breast cancer management, international recommendations have been given for several years in favor of the use of CT, especially mind-body therapies, and regarded as effective care. Being able to refer patients suffering from any tumors to CT, through a structured procedure, integrated into the care pathway, would improve overall cancer management and the quality of life of the patients during chemotherapy. Improved communication from the oncologist about CT could better the relationships between the oncologist and the patient, and would be a better way to reduce the choice of practices that might be at risk, while improving compliance with conventional treatment. In this context, we report the opening of an integrative oncology consultation within a comprehensive cancer center, detailing the procedure of the consultation, describing the patients and their expectations, as well as the proposals made to them. This type of consultation is still underdeveloped in France and will be the subject of studies in the field of Humanities and social sciences.
Keywords: Cancer; Complementary medicine; Integrative oncology; Interventions non médicamenteuses; Non-drug intervention; Oncologie intégrative; Soins de support; Supportive care; Thérapies complémentaires.
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