The potential of a person-centered approach in caring for patients with cancer: a perspective from the UCLA center for East-West medicine

BACKGROUND: Evolving patient preferences as well as an expanding evidence base for commonly used complementary and alternative medicine therapies for patients with cancer have led to inroads by integrative medicine into clinical oncology. Traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) has been used in conjunction with conventional biomedicine in the prevention and treatment of cancer in China for several decades. METHODS: The authors, through select review of the existing literature and by drawing on clinical experience, describe a person-centered approach to care of patients with cancer that incorporates TCM concepts and techniques. Two cases are used to illustrate how this approach might address unmet needs and enhance quality of life for patients with cancer. RESULTS: TCM's emphasis on a comprehensive understanding of imbalance in various systems and resultant compromise of homeostatic reserve as well as its ability to treat them with distinctive therapeutic modalities can add unique value to the overall management of the patient with cancer. CONCLUSIONS: TCM can be used adjunctively to improve quality of life and functional status during a patient's struggle with cancer. An approach integrating both medicines that is guided by scientific evidence, safety, and patient preferences has the potential to improve modern oncologic care.