Complementary, never alternative — evidence-informed support through the cancer journey.
Quick answer
Integrative Oncology is an evidence-informed specialty coordinating complementary therapies alongside conventional cancer treatment. With SIO/ASCO-endorsed guidelines, it uses acupuncture, meditation, yoga, massage, and other modalities to improve quality of life, not as alternatives to oncological care.
What Integrative Oncology is commonly used for
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Background
Integrative oncology emerged from the integrative medicine movement in the 1990s–2000s, catalysed by the recognition that most cancer patients use some form of complementary therapy — often without informing their oncologists. The Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) was founded in 2003 to establish evidence-based guidelines for incorporating complementary therapies into cancer care. SIO published clinical practice guidelines endorsed by the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) in 2017, representing a landmark of mainstream acceptance. Major cancer centres including Memorial Sloan Kettering, MD Anderson, and Dana-Farber now have integrative oncology programmes. The field is driven by the recognition that quality of life, symptom management, and survivorship care are as important as tumour-directed treatment.
The practice
Integrative oncology applies complementary therapies specifically evaluated for safety and efficacy in cancer populations. SIO guidelines recommend: acupuncture for chemotherapy-induced nausea and cancer-related pain; meditation and yoga for anxiety, depression, and fatigue; massage therapy (adapted for oncology) for pain and anxiety; and specific supplements with evidence in cancer contexts (e.g., ginger for nausea, melatonin for sleep). All interventions are evaluated for potential interactions with cancer treatments — particularly herb-drug and supplement-drug interactions with chemotherapy. The approach addresses the whole person: physical symptom management, emotional wellbeing, spiritual support, nutritional optimisation, and quality of life enhancement throughout the cancer trajectory from diagnosis through survivorship.
An integrative oncology consultation lasts 60–90 minutes and is typically conducted by a physician or advanced practice provider with integrative oncology training. The consultation reviews the patient''s cancer diagnosis, treatment plan, current symptoms, and any complementary therapies already in use. A personalised integrative care plan is developed, recommending specific evidence-based therapies — such as acupuncture for nausea, yoga for fatigue, meditation for anxiety — while screening for potential interactions with ongoing cancer treatment. Referrals are made to certified oncology-trained complementary practitioners. Follow-up coordinates with the primary oncology team. In major cancer centres, integrative oncology is part of the multidisciplinary team.
Mechanisms
The biological and psychological processes proposed to underlie how Integrative Oncology is thought to work.
Complementary therapies are selected, screened for interactions, and coordinated with the oncology treatment plan by practitioners with specific cancer training.
Interventions target the whole-person experience of cancer — physical symptoms, emotional wellbeing, spiritual needs, and functional capacity — alongside tumour-directed treatment.
All complementary interventions are evaluated for potential herb-drug, supplement-drug, and therapy-treatment interactions to ensure they do not compromise cancer treatment efficacy or safety.
Evidence Assessment
Integrative oncology has a moderate to strong evidence base for specific interventions in cancer populations. SIO/ASCO guidelines (Lyman et al., 2018) provide graded recommendations: Grade A (recommended) for acupuncture in chemotherapy-induced nausea and for meditation/yoga for anxiety/mood; Grade B for massage, music therapy, and stress management. Greenlee et al. (2017) published comprehensive SIO guidelines for breast cancer. Multiple Cochrane reviews evaluate individual complementary therapies in cancer contexts. The NCI Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine funds ongoing research. The evidence is strongest for symptom management and quality of life, not for anti-tumour effects — this distinction is critical for ethical positioning.
Evidence varies by condition and individual response. This information is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.
Questions
Suitability
Cancer patients seeking evidence-informed complementary support alongside conventional treatment. Those experiencing treatment side effects (nausea, fatigue, pain, anxiety, insomnia) that impact quality of life. Cancer survivors managing long-term effects of treatment. Patients who want to discuss complementary therapy use with a knowledgeable physician. Family members and carers seeking support.
People seeking complementary therapies as a REPLACEMENT for conventional cancer treatment — integrative oncology is explicitly complementary, not alternative. Those who are not currently under the care of an oncologist. Individuals promoting unproven cancer ''cures.''
Based on clinical use and available research. Evidence varies by condition and individual response.
SIO/ASCO guidelines recommend acupuncture for cancer-related pain. Massage and yoga also graded positively.
Grade A recommendation for meditation and yoga for cancer-related anxiety in SIO guidelines.
Meditation, yoga, and music therapy recommended for cancer-related depression in SIO guidelines.
Mind-body interventions and acupuncture support cancer-related sleep disturbance.
Exercise, yoga, and acupuncture recommended for cancer-related fatigue in SIO guidelines.
Multi-modal integrative approach addresses cancer-related distress through coordinated complementary therapies.
Related
Based on the conditions Integrative Oncology is used to support, practitioners commonly work with people experiencing these symptoms: