Programme

Saturday 15 May 2021

Welcome from chair and introduction about BSIO

Dr Catherine Zollman, conference chairman, GP, medical lead of Penny Brohn UK cancer charity, clinical lead for Personalised Care and Support, SWAG NHS Cancer Alliance and fellow in Integrative Medicine from the University of Arizona.

Should lifestyle and nutrition be included in all cancer treatment plans? – a research update

Chair: Dr Catherine Zollman, GP, medical lead of Penny Brohn UK cancer charity, clinical lead for Personalised Care and Support, SWAG NHS Cancer Alliance and fellow in Integrative Medicine from the University of Arizona.

Speaker: Prof Robert Thomas, consultant oncologist at Addenbrooke’s and Bedford Hospitals, a visiting Professor at Cranfield University and a clinical teacher at Cambridge University, UK

A healthy lifestyle can reduce the risk of cancer, reduce side effects of treatments and improve outcomes. There still remains some lack of clarity about what factors are most important, so this talk will review evidence from clinical studies from across the World and highlight both what is known, and the areas where further research is needed.

More than 60% of people with a cancer diagnosis use some form of lifestyle or complementary therapy and this session will highlight the risks that patients can incur if trying to self-manage, as well as providing some safe, practical self-help tips which can be applied within a standard cancer treatment setting.

Optimising patient resilience to get the best out of treatment

Chair: Dr Penny Kechagioglou, consultant clinical oncologist and group clinical director for Surgery and Emergency Medicine, at the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire.

Speakers:

Prof Sandy Jack, professor of prehabilitation Medicine and Consultant Clinician Scientist, University of Southampton and University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust, UK.

Dr Carol Granger, registered nutrition practitioner with a particular interest in the human microbiome, UK.

Cancer Prehabilitation is the combination of multi-professional interventions such as nutrition, exercise and wellbeing support, aimed at achieving better functional outcomes and reducing physical and mental morbidity after cancer surgery and other oncological treatments.

This session will discuss the research that demonstrates that pre-existing chronic stress, physical inactivity and poor nutritional status can impair immune, digestive and endocrine function and worsen mental health, leaving the body less able to tolerate and benefit from cancer treatment.

We will explore how simple yet powerful interventions and tools that can be used in the in-patient, outpatient and community settings – like providing structured exercise programmes, optimising nutritional status and the intestinal microbiome and addressing psychological distress proactively – can all improve functional status thereby reducing the risks of cancer treatments and helping to maintain and improve overall health and wellbeing.

Building mental and emotional resilience while living with cancer

Chair: Dr Caroline Hoffman, clinical and research director, Breast Cancer Haven.

Speakers:

Emeritus Professor Leslie G Walker, emeritus professor of Cancer Rehabilitation at the University of Hull, UK.

Sophie Sabbage, expert in the field of human psychology, authority on shifting fear, crisis specialist, Sunday Times bestselling author of three books about finding the possible in the impossible.

Dr Lauren Macdonald, a medical doctor and integrative practitioner with a special interest in trauma and the mind-body connection, UK.

Living with a cancer diagnosis can stretch a person’s mental and emotional resources to their limits. These challenging times present opportunities to actively cultivate practices which meet these mental and emotional challenges in ways that enhance resilience and enable post-traumatic growth.

People can be helped to meet emotions like fear, anxiety and uncertainty without being constantly overwhelmed by them. They can learn that it is possible to live well in the midst of the crisis that cancer presents. This session will explore approaches including cognitive reframing, counselling, courage, thriving rather than surviving, embodiment, mindfulness, self-compassion, hypnosis and visualisation that can be invaluable to enable people to live well.

BREAK for lunch

Integrative cancer care during radiotherapy and chemotherapy – optimising outcomes while minimising side effects

Chair: Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel, Integrative Medicine doctor, scientist and educator, Vice Chair of BSIO, Director of Synthesis Clinic, fellow of the College of Medicine, UK.

Speakers:

Dr Stephen Kennedy, consultant clinical oncologist, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, UK.

Aga Kehinde, clinical nurse specialist, cancer educator and health and wellbeing lead for the Oncology Division at the Royal Surrey Hospital & performance coach, UK.

Susie Budd, chemotherapy senior staff nurse at Bristol Haematology & Oncology Centre and treatment support nurse, Penny Brohn UK.

Going through an intensive treatment regime is challenging for both the patients and the clinicians who are managing therapy side effects. This session will explore components of integrative cancer care that may be safely and effectively incorporated during chemotherapy and radiotherapy treatment, including reviewing the evidence and controversies around nutrition, supplementation and fasting and how to provide practical guidance on physical activity, sleep and psycho-emotional support.

The importance and benefits of having a properly integrated approach for patient safety and better outcomes will be highlighted. We will also discuss integrative management options for common side effects of chemotherapy and radiotherapy, including GI effects (mucositis, diarrhoea, N&V), cancer and chemotherapy-related fatigue (CRF) and cognitive dysfunction, chemotherapy-induced peripheral neuropathy (CIPN) and radiation dermatitis.

Living with advanced cancer – what can Integrative Oncology offer?

Chair: Dr Elizabeth Thompson, CEO and holistic doctor, National Centre for Integrative Medicine (NCIM), UK.

Speakers:

Dr Jacqui Stringer, clinical & research lead for the Complementary Health & Wellbeing Services, The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, UK.

Kristin Hallenga, founder of CoppaFeel! Breast cancer awareness charity. Diagnosed with stage four breast cancer at 23 years, she has survived her original prognosis by having terminal cancer for over twelve years, UK.

Dr Duncan Still, Integrative Doctor, Penny Brohn UK, National Centre for Integrative Medicine and University of Bristol, UK.

Based on clinical experience and research evidence, this session will explore the potential of integrative approaches to help people living with advanced cancer to manage troublesome symptoms, tolerate ongoing treatment, build resilience and regain a sense of control and realistic hopefulness.

By expanding the therapeutic toolbox, people’s psychological, physical, emotional and spiritual needs can be addressed in a way which helps them live as well as possible for as long as possible, avoiding the harmful effects of both false hope and false hopelessness.

The future of Integrative Oncology – looking forward

Chair: Dr Catherine Zollman, GP, medical lead of Penny Brohn UK cancer charity, clinical lead for Personalised Care and Support, SWAG NHS Cancer Alliance and fellow in Integrative Medicine from the University of Arizona.

Speaker: Dr Santosh Rao, MD, ABIHM, medical oncologist and medical director of the James M Cox Foundation Center for Cancer Prevention and Integrative Oncology at Banner MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA.

This session, from the chair-elect of the international Society for Integrative Oncology, will draw from global examples of best practice in Integrative Oncology to offer a future vision of how the UK oncology community might incorporate Integrative Oncology approaches to achieve the best patient experience and outcomes possible, while also supporting staff resilience and wellbeing.

Panel discussion and Q&A

Chair: Dr Catherine Zollman, GP, medical lead of Penny Brohn UK cancer charity, clinical lead for Personalised Care and Support, SWAG NHS Cancer Alliance and fellow in Integrative Medicine from the University of Arizona.

Panellists:

Dr Penny Kechagioglou, consultant clinical oncologist and group clinical director for Surgery and Emergency Medicine, at the University Hospitals Coventry and Warwickshire, UK.

Dr Nina Fuller-Shavel, Integrative Medicine doctor, scientist and educator, Vice Chair of BSIO, Director of Synthesis Clinic, Fellow of the College of Medicine, UK.

Dr Carol Granger, registered nutrition practitioner with a particular interest in the human microbiome, UK.

Dr Caroline Hoffman, clinical and research director, Breast Cancer Haven, UK.

Dr Elizabeth Thompson, CEO and holistic doctor, National Centre for Integrative Medicine (NCIM), UK.