NCI CAMNews

Summer 2006

Vol.1 - Issue 2

The National Cancer Institute's

(NCI) Office of Cancer

Complementary and Alternative

Medicine (OCCAM) hosted an

ambitious conference titled

'Traditional Chinese Medicine

and Cancer Research: Fostering

Collaborations; Advancing the

Science,' held April 10 through 12

at the National Institutes of

Health (NIH) campus. This

endeavor took six months of

planning and was prompted by

multiple meetings with the China

Academy of Chinese Medical

Sciences (CACMS), a national

center for TCM research,

teaching, and health care in

China. 

Almost 200 scientists and

physicians attended the

conference, including more than

40 who traveled from China to

participate. While the conference

included posters and presentations

like a standard biomedical

gathering, its main purpose was to

serve as an incubator for

establishing new collaborative

relationships between Chinese and

Western scientists interested in

researching Traditional Chinese

Medicine (TCM) for cancer

prevention, treatment, and

palliation. “This meeting is about

getting to know each other,” said

Dr. Jeffrey D. White, Director of

OCCAM, on the first day of the

conference. “Hopefully, we have

structured it in a way to allow

people to meet each other and

learn from each other, and we

want to encourage that as much

as possible.” A primary goal of

the meeting was to provide an

opportunity for NCI intramural

researchers to explore specific

topics that could be the subject of

collaborations with Chinese

investigators.

The last several decades have seen

an explosion of interest in all

types of complementary and

alternative medicine (CAM),

within both the public and the

biomedical research community.

TCM is unusual among

modalities that fall within what is

considered CAM in the West in

that it is a complete medical

system developed over thousands

of years, encompassing

physiology, pathology, and

prevention and diagnosis of

disease.

In this issue:

1

Feature

3

A Conversation with

4

News from the Field

6

Funding Opportunities 

7

Research Resources

8

Research Highlights

10

CAM Information 

11

Meetings

12

Featured Scientific

Meetings 

1

National Cancer Institute

U.S. DEPARTMENT 

OF HEALTH AND 

HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes 

of Health

continued on next page

The Newsletter of the Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Conference Jump Starts a New Era of Collaboration in

Traditional Chinese Medicine Research
2

As Dr. Yong Ming Li from Warren

Hospital, New Jersey, explained to

the audience, TCM and Western

medicine view the body

differently. While Western

medicine has traditionally used

dissection to obtain knowledge of

the inner workings of the body,

TCM has used observation of how

the body reacts to treatments to

elucidate organ function. In the

realm of cancer therapy, Western

medicine has one target-the

cancer-while TCM is also

concerned with restoring energy

balance, called qi, within the

body.

Dr. Lorenzo Cohen from MD

Anderson Cancer Center, whose

research group has an ongoing,

NCI-sponsored collaborative

agreement with Fudan University

in Shanghai, China, described his

understanding of the principal of

qi on the third day of the

conference: “TCM examines the

human being as an ecosystem in

which polarities constantly

interact in flowing regular cycles.

The methods employed in the

practice of TCM are intended to

treat perceived or suspected

blockages or imbalances, either

excesses or insufficiencies, and to

restore balance, energy flow, and

vitality.”

Many aspects of TCM, such as

anti-cancer herbal therapies and

acupuncture, are being studied by

oncologists in both China and the

West. The main challenge facing

researchers is how to apply

modern scientific methodology to

the evaluation of TCM therapies,

which are traditionally highly

individualized for each new

patient. Two subjects that arose

over and over during the three

days of the conference were the

vital need to understand the

molecular mechanisms behind the

observed efficacy of any TCM

treatment and the need for

product authentication and

quality control. 

“I would argue that it is foolish to

go right to large clinical trials

without reproducible product,”

stated Dr. David Eisenberg,

Associate Professor of Medicine at

Harvard Medical School, closing

the first day of the conference.

“Furthermore, and this is perhaps

the most important point, clinical

trials alone will be insufficient.

Preclinical, mechanistic studies

alone will be insufficient. We

absolutely...need both to

authoritatively research TCM or

any herbal preparation.”

Participants discussed the

challenges faced in international

collaborations during the second

day of the conference, which

provided open breakout sessions

from previous page

on topics ranging from humansubjects and animal-use issues to

the integration of TCM and

Western cancer research. On the

third day of the conference, a

panel of researchers from the

United States, Europe, and China

related their experiences with

successful-and unsuccessfulcollaborations in TCM: what

worked and what needed work.

“I don't believe there should be

Chinese medicine or Western

medicine...medicine is medicine,”

said Dr. Yung-Chi “Tommy”

Cheng from Yale University, who

closed the conference with a talk

on translational research in TCM.

The conference participants

agreed, as they made plans to

explore new applications of TCM

to cancer therapy together. “I

think that this conference has

achieved its expected goal,” stated

Dr. Liu Baoyan, Vice President of

the CACMS. “We have built a

bridge for future cooperation on

TCM studies between scientists in

the U.S. and China.” ❧

Participants Dr. Gerald Sokol and Dr. O.M. Zack Howard as well as 

Dr. Yu-Jen Chen and Dr. Tung Kwang Lee discuss scientific posters.
Please say a little about the

scope of your responsibilities

as Deputy Director of the

NCI and how complementary and alternative medicine

(CAM) fits into those duties. 

I lead the trans-NCI strategic

scientific planning and

prioritization process. My portfolio

includes 13 offices, centers, and

divisions with a focus on cancer

prevention, cancer control,

international cancer control, and

health services research. My

principle efforts are focused on

applying systems thinking to

increase the impact that NCI has

on the quality, cost, and

reimbursement of cancer care, as

well as the reduction of cancer

health disparities. One office to

which I provide strategic leadership

is OCCAM. OCCAM functions as

a coordinating office for the

Institute's research and information

activities regarding CAM, so its

work supports the efforts of

programs throughout NCI's

intramural and extramural

components. 

Through my exposure to

OCCAM's programs and projects,

I have found that CAM research

and information issues are relevant

in some way to most, if not all, of

the 8 strategic objectives that we

have elaborated for the Institute in

The NCI Strategic Plan for

Leading the Nation. Given my

focus on cancer care delivery, I

have taken particular notice that a

significant percentage of the grants

in NCI's CAM research portfolio

relate to our objective to improve

the quality of cancer care, however,

an even larger percentage of grants

are relevant to NCI's strategic

objective to accelerate progress in

cancer prevention. Many of these

details are being prepared for

public dissemination in the first

NCI's CAM Annual Report: Fiscal

Year 2005.

Recently, you've been

invited to speak at two

international CAM

meetings: Non-Conventional Treatments for Cancer

Patients held by the AIMaC,

the Italian equivalent to the

Cancer Information Service,

and the Traditional Chinese

Medicine and Cancer

Research: Fostering

Collaborations; Advancing

the Science. What do you see

as potential collaborations

that can be accomplished

through dialogue with

international partnerships? 

From my participation at those

meetings, it was apparent to me

that CAM is an international

phenomenon. Issues related to

CAM vary from country to

country, but there are common

connecting elements. For example,

there is a universal need to generate

an evidence-base for clinical

practice through rigorous cancer

CAM research. We should not

work in silos but share our

resources and advancements

through international partnerships.

Another similarity amongst

countries is the necessity for high

quality information products on

CAM therapies for cancer geared

for the general population. As a

result of this particular need,

Thinking About Complementary

and Alternative Medicine, a

booklet jointly produced by NCI

and the National Center for

Complementary and Alternative

Medicine that gives an overview of

the various cancer CAM therapies

A Conversation with:

NCI Deputy Director and Deputy Director for Cancer Care Delivery Systems

Mark Clanton, M.D.

Dr. Mark Clanton

NCI Deputy Director

continued on next page

3
and how to find credible CAM

information resources, has been

translated into Italian and French. 

International connections and

collaborations are important as

they give us an opportunity to

learn from the experience of

others.

Are there specific ways in

which NCI can make a

meaningful impact on the

field of cancer CAM? What

can NCI do to further

research in the field of

CAM?

The National Cancer Institute has

a mandate and responsibility to

support the development of

scientific knowledge that improves

the care of cancer patients. Since

many cancer patients, estimated to

be as high as 80%, use CAM

resources, NCI will continue to

fund research into CAM practices

in cancer patients. In addition to

maintaining a research portfolio in

cancer CAM, OCCAM will

continue to work with other

programs within NCI, such as the

Cancer Centers Branch and the

Community Oncology and

Prevention and Trials research

group, and collaborate with other

NIH Institutes and Centers to

support cancer CAM research. We

also have an important role to

play in educating health care

practitioners and consumers about

the evolving research in the field

of CAM and cancer. ❧

...from previous page

continued on next page

News from the Field

NCI to Publish First

Annual Report on CAM

and Cancer Research

Led by the efforts of OCCAM,

NCI plans to release in fall 2006

the first in a series of annual

reports regarding the agency's

cancer CAM activities. This

publication, NCI's CAM Annual

Report: Fiscal Year 2005, will be a

collection of the successes, large

and small, of the cancer CAM

communication, training, and

research projects that NCI has

sponsored between October 1,

2004 and September 30, 2005, as

well as results announced in that

period from previously funded

projects. 

The report will present research

highlights from NCI's

comprehensive grant portfolio

organized by the strategic areas as

defined in The NCI Strategic Plan

for Leading the Nation, cancer

CAM information products,

meetings and workshops, and a

reference list of peer-reviewed

literature that resulted from NCI

grant awards. The report also will

provide a closer look at the

definitions of CAM as well as a

break-down of NCI's CAM

research portfolio by CAM

category.

“This annual progress report on

NCI's CAM research and

programs was commissioned to

communicate the breadth and

depth of the projects contained in

NCI's CAM portfolio, to share

the commitment of the research

community that I witness every

day, and to convey the sense of

hope that progress brings,” noted

Mark Clanton, M.D., NCI

Deputy Director and Deputy

Director for Cancer Care Delivery

Systems.

Project summaries featured in the

“CAM Annual Report” will

include:

■ The Women's Healthy

Eating and Living

(WHEL) Study Testing

High Vegetable Diet for

Breast Cancer Recurrence

■ Milk Thistle and Prostate

Cancer: Moving from

Bench to Bedside

■ New PDQ CAM

Summaries Developed for

Patients and Health

Professionals 

“I am encouraged and excited

about what NCI has accomplished

in advancing the development of

evidence-based CAM and what

each of those achievements means

for the future,” Clanton said. “I

commend the work of our NCI

scientists and the many extramural

researchers who we support

through our various programs.”

The announcement of the

publication of NCI's CAM Annual

Report will be made on the

OCCAM Web site, and it will be

available online at

4
www.cancer.gov/cam. Printed

copies may also be ordered

through NCI's Cancer

Information Service by calling

1-800-4-CANCER

(1-800-422-6237).

Investing in Cancer CAM

Research: An Analysis of

NCI's CAM Portfolio

After each fiscal year comes to a

close, OCCAM takes an in-depth

look at NCI's CAM research

expenditures. This yearly analysis

is an exercise which reveals an

estimated total amount of funding

that goes to cancer CAM research

projects (both intramural and

extramural research) and

breakdowns according to the type

of research (prevention, treatment,

side effect/symptom management,

and epidemiology), CAM

category, and cancer type. 

Analysis of the NCI's fiscal year

2005 (FY 05) CAM portfolio of

projects shows that the agency has

funded over 400 research projects

which include an assortment of

intramural projects and

extramural grants, cooperative

agreements, contracts, and

supplements. The estimated total

for NCI's CAM research

expenditures is $121,077,000. 

One example of information

gained from the portfolio analysis

is the breakdown of cancer CAM

research by approach. The

accompanying pie-chart shows the

distribution of the NCI's CAM

research projects by: prevention,

treatment, symptom/side-effect

management, and epidemiology.

(See pie-chart). In FY 05, 67 % of

cancer CAM-related research

funds were spent on various

cancer prevention efforts, while

treatment, symptom/side-effect

management, and epidemiology

received 17%, 11%, and 5%,

respectively.

Examination of NCI's CAM

portfolio is an important step in

helping to identify research gaps in

the field of cancer CAM and to

encourage dialogue about the

potential direction of future

research. A detailed analysis of

NCI's CAM portfolio will be

available in the publication NCI

CAM Annual Report: Fiscal Year

2005, see previous article for more

information. ❧

...from previous page

Can't wait another 6 months for the next newsletter

to get your CAM news...

OCCAM has created a new way for you to keep up-to-date with

NCI's activities regarding CAM. You can subscribe to receive

OCCAM Announcements, timely e-mail updates about meetings

and other events, new information products, funding

announcements, and more. 

Go to 

http://www.cancer.gov/cam/news/occam-announcements.html

follow the link, and fill out the short form.

5
continued on next page

Funding Opportunities

Re-Issuance of Program

Announcement

“Developmental Projects

in Complementary

Approaches to Cancer

Care” 

(PA-06-400)

In an ongoing effort to help

promote dialogue and

collaboration between CAM

practitioners and conventional

cancer researchers, as well as

promote research focusing on

complementary approaches in

cancer, program announcement

(PA-06-400) “Developmental

Projects in Complementary

Approaches to Cancer Care” has

been re-issued for a second time. 

Originally released in December

2001, this program

announcement soliciting grant

applications was generated by

OCCAM and the National

Center for Complementary and

Alternative Medicine to

encourage and support the

development of basic and clinical

complementary cancer research.

The support for exploratory/

developmental projects through

these R21 grants is intended to

provide the basis for more

extended research projects by

establishing the methodological

feasibility, strengthening the

scientific rationale for these

projects, and allowing the

collection of data. This

announcement is also intended to

attract the entry of promising

investigators into research of

these topics.

Examples of applicable

complementary approaches

include, but are not limited to

nutritional approaches, natural

products, mind-body approaches,

energy therapies, herbal

medicines, and interventions

based on medical systems such as

Traditional Chinese Medicine or

Ayurvedic medicine.

For additional information

including topics of programmatic

interest and contact information

for inquiries, please view the

complete announcement at

http://grants.nih.gov/grants/guide/

pa-files/PA-06-400.html.

Looking for Non-NIH

Funding? 

OCCAM Builds Cancer

CAM Research Funding

Database

One of the biggest obstacles

associated with the field of cancer

CAM research is in finding

funding. Although there exists a

recognized process for applying

for federal funds, there is a

plethora of non-federal funding

sources that are not as easy to

locate or identify. The difficulty

in finding non-federal funding

can then, in turn, be a barrier to

obtaining federal funding for

foundational or exploratory

research. Non-federal funding is

often needed to back preliminary

research that aids in providing

proof of concept required to

acquire larger-scale grants from

NIH. 

To assist cancer CAM researchers

in identifying potential funding

sources for their proposed

projects, OCCAM has developed

a directory of non-federal funding

sources, which will eventually be

converted into a database called

the Cancer CAM Research

Funding Database. Both the

directory and database will

contain contact information,

organizational characteristics, an

overview of the organizations

funding programs/processes, and

the particular CAM funding

interests of a growing number of

foundations, advocacy groups,

non-federal government

organizations, and private sector

organizations. 

To be included in this new

funding resource, organizations

must meet two criteria:

■ Open Grant Application

Process- accepts

investigator submitted

grant applications 

■ Interest in cancer and/or

CAM research- accepts

grant applications for

cancer CAM research 

“When we ask researchers what

we can do to help them, grant

funding is always at the top of the

list. Often, even fairly small

6
amounts of funds can allow a

researcher to get critical data

which can improve the quality

and competitiveness of an

application to NIH. Investigators

of large, research-intense

institutions may have access to

information about a range of

funding sources, but for smaller

centers, this information may not

be as easy to come by. This

database will provide unique

information for researchers

looking to have their cancer CAM

research financially supported,”

Dr. Jeffrey D. White, OCCAM

Director said of the new database.

The Cancer CAM Research

Funding Database will replace the

directory upon completion of

design and construction. To access

this temporary directory, please

visit the OCCAM Web site at

http://www.cancer.gov/cam/

research_funding.html. ❧

Save the Date: Grant

Writing Workshop on

November 8, 2006

Mark your calendars for

November 8, 2006, when

OCCAM leads an upcoming

workshop Strategies for Success:

How to Write a Grant in Cancer

CAM. This technical assistance

workshop will be offered as a

preconference activity during the

3rd International Conference of

the Society for Integrative

Oncology (SIO). Held at the John

B. Hynes Veterans Convention

Center in Boston, Massachusetts,

this one day workshop is intended

for researchers with an interest in

cancer CAM and will address

many of the issues raised by

review committees. 

Specifically, the workshop will

focus on the challenges unique to

preparing applications in cancer

CAM topics and will present

some of the potential solutions for

applicants. In addition to a mock

review session, the agenda will also

include presentations from NIH

program staff interested in

supporting research in cancer

CAM. The workshop will be

helpful for those preparing grant

proposals to the NCI as well as

other peer-review funders

providing support for scientific

cancer CAM research. 

Dr. Hongjie Zhang, a previous

workshop participant from the

University of Illinois at Chicago,

says, "The workshop gave me a

clear picture of what OCCAM

[NCI] is looking for and what I

should do when writing a

proposal. The mock grant review

let me know how my submitted

proposal would be evaluated.

Great workshop."

For more information about the

workshop or SIO's 3rd

International Conference, please

visit

http://www.integrativeonc.org/

index.php.

Enhanced Version of

Cancer Research Portfolio

Released

More information about cancer

and CAM research projects and

contracts, clinical trials, funding

opportunities, and research tools

are now available to you than ever

before through the enhanced

Cancer Research Portfolio. 

...from previous page

continued on next page

Research Resources

Contact Information

Office of Cancer

Complementary and 

Alternative Medicine

6116 Executive Boulevard

Suite 609

Bethesda, Maryland 20892

E-mail: ncioccam-r@mail.nih.gov

http://cancer.gov/cam

7
Updates to this resource,

including several new features to

the database, were launched this

past spring. In addition to NCIsupported projects, cancer-related

projects funded by the National

Institute on Allergy and Infectious

Diseases, National Institute of

Child Health and Human

Development, National Institute

of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism,

and the National Institute on

Drug Abuse are now also

searchable. Other recent

improvements integrated into the

database include the ability to find

projects supported by a specific

funding opportunity, access to the

International Cancer Research

Portfolio, and clearly defined

limitations to database search

results. 

On the OCCAM Web site, results

of pre-canned searches of the

Cancer Research Portfolio supply

you with CAM projects as they

apply to prevention, treatment,

and the supportive care of patients

and survivors. To view this

information, please visit

http://www.cancer.gov/cam/

research_portfolio.html ❧

Natural Compounds

Studied for Prevention of

Colon Cancer

Limited information exists on the

cellular mechanisms by which

natural compounds may inhibit

disease processes, including cancer.

The lack of clear information

presents a barrier for moving

natural compounds into

chemopreventive clinical trials.

Chinthalapally Rao, Ph.D.,

professor of Hematology and

Oncology at the University of

Oklahoma Health Sciences

Center, is leading a study to

understand the mechanisms of

action of curcumin, found in the

spice turmeric, and phenylethyl-3-

methylcaffeate (PEMC), a

compound found in honey-bee

hives. Both products have been

used in folk medicine to treat

various diseases for thousands of

years and have been shown to

inhibit colon tumor formation in

laboratory animal models.

Preliminary studies showed that

these two compounds inhibit the

metabolism of arachidonic acid

(AA), a substrate of

cyclooxygenase (COX) and

lipoxygenase (LOX) - enzymes

that produce tumor-promoting

substances. Tumeric and PEMC

also block the formation of

adenocarcinomas in the colons of

rats that are caused by

azoxymethane (AOM), a known

colon carcinogen. 

In their NCI-funded

investigation, the researchers used

rat models to examine the effects

of curcumin and PEMC on the

expression and activity of enzymes

known to be involved in different

stages of AOM-induced colon

carcinogenesis. The investigators

found that curcumin and PEMC

suppressed colon tumor growth,

and PEMC also exerted an antiangiogenic effect on colon tumors

by preventing the formation of

new blood vessels to feed the

tumors.

Neither curcumin nor PEMC

showed any toxicity or unwanted

side effects in the animal models

used in the studies. Human

studies will be required however

to determine if curcumin and

PEMC inhibit colon tumor

growth without the side effects

seen with synthetic COX-2

inhibitors, such as celecoxib.

Recent Phase I clinical trial studies

have shown that administration of

curcumin at 3.6 grams per day

produced no side effects and

significantly decreased levels of a

...from previous page

continued on next page

Research Highlights

PEMC is found in honey-bee hives.

8
COX-2 metabolite in humans.

Currently, Rao and colleagues are

considering a Phase II clinical trial

to test the effectiveness of

curcumin as a preventive agent in

individuals at high risk for

colorectal cancer.

Study Examines Impact of

Lifestyle Changes on Breast

Cancer Outcomes

For nearly three decades, breast

cancer survivors have led a

grassroots movement to involve

patients more in their care and

treatment. The result has

empowered many women not

only to survive their cancer, but to

emerge with a greater sense of

purpose, closer ties with other

patients and women, and perhaps

a different diet and lifestyle.

“However, there is little

information on whether these

changes actually impact their

prognosis,” says Lawrence H.

Kushi, Sc.D., associate research

director at Kaiser Permanente in

Oakland, California. “We wanted

to do a large study that followed

women from the time they are

diagnosed, and examine whether

their lifestyles may influence their

cancer outcomes - including their

risk of recurrence and survival

rates. As far as we know, this will

be the largest prospective cohort

study ever conducted in breast

cancer survivorship to look

carefully at lifestyle changes and

diet.” 

The study is called “Pathways: A

Study of Breast Cancer

Survivorship”, and Kushi and his

colleagues, starting in January

2006, will enroll more than 5,000

women soon after their initial

diagnosis. Study participants are

welcomed with a credo: “There

are many ways to live with breast

cancer. Each woman will make

her own choices and walk her own

path.” Nonetheless, Pathways

participants will be exposed to

information about diet, dietary

supplements, herbal remedies,

exercise, social networks, and

other CAM interventions

commonly used among breast

cancer patients.

Researchers interview all women

who join the study to develop

baseline information on the use of

CAM therapies, food intake,

quality of life, and other lifestyle

factors. “Pathways isn't an

intervention study per se, so we're

not asking study participants to

make specific changes,” says

...from previous page Kushi. “But we know that many

women in these circumstances do

change their diet, may seek CAM

treatments, and otherwise respond

individually to the challenge of

breast cancer. The study is

designed to tell us whether the

changes women do choose to

make may have a bearing on their

prognosis.”

For example, “We will be

comparing women who consume

relatively high amounts of fat

compared to those who consume

relatively low amounts of fat

during the study time period,”

Kushi adds.

The investigators are also

collecting DNA from blood and

tumor samples, and will be able to

analyze specific genes for variants

or damage, as well as those

expressed in the tumor

microenvironment. This should

yield associations between certain

genes and progression, as well as

how certain genes may influence

the effectiveness of conventional

treatments, or modify the effect of

lifestyle factors. ❧

9

There are many ways to live

with breast cancer. Each woman

will make her own choices and

walk her own path.

“

”
CAM Information

New and Improved CAM

and Cancer Clinical Trials

Tables

Searching for cancer CAM clinical

trials in the National Cancer

Institute (NCI) PDQ® database

just got a little bit easier. With

over 4,000 trials listed in the

database and approximately 160

of them active cancer CAM

clinical trials, it can be challenging

to find those one or two particular

CAM clinical trials of interest. A

newly designed CAM clinical

trials search table has recently

been added the OCCAM Web

site. While similar to the search

function on the NCI Web site,

this new search table places you

one mouse click away from direct

access to the entire list of cancer

CAM clinical trials, including

clinical trials that have already

closed. 

The new clinical trials search table

allows you to view active CAM

clinical trials by either cancer type

or an associated symptom. There

are currently approximately fifteen

cancer types listed as active CAM

clinical trials, examples include: 

■ Bladder Cancer

■ Head and Neck Cancer

■ Lung Cancer

■ Prostate Cancer

There are six common symptoms

for active CAM clinical trials,

which include:

■ Anorexia

■ Hot Flashes

■ Fatigue

■ Nausea

■ Pain

■ Oral Complications

For the complete list of CAM

clinical trials by cancer type and

to access the CAM clinical trials

table, please visit the OCCAM

Web site at

http://www.cancer.gov/cam/

clinicaltrials_list.html. ❧

OCCAM Brochures Available

OCCAM's newly redesigned general office brochure and the NCI

Best Case Series Program brochure are now available. 

The OCCAM brochure aims to introduce OCCAM's role as a

coordinating office within NCI and its three distinct programs.

The purpose of the NCI Best Case Series Program brochure is to

provide practitioners who treat cancer patients with alternative

therapies information on how to submit

data for NCI review. This publication

includes an overview of the submission

process, criteria for optimal cases, and

answers to the most frequently asked

questions. 

Copies of the brochures can be

requested by calling the Cancer

Information Service at

1-800-4-CANCER.

10
Meetings

Join Us at the OCCAM

Monthly Lecture Series 

OCCAM invites you to attend the

OCCAM Monthly Lecture Series,

in which notable researchers

present their work in CAM and

cancer. These lectures occur every

second Wednesday of the month

and are open to the public. As

examples, previous lecture topics

have included traditional medicine

as prevention of colon cancer,

herbal medicine for

chemoprevention of lung cancer,

and ascorbic acid in cancer

treatment.

Dr. Jin-Rong 'Joseph' Zhou of

Beth Israel Deaconess Medical

Center will be presenting in

September. The title of Dr. Zhou’s

talk will be “Soy Phytochemicals

and Tamoxifen Combinations on

Breast Cancer Progressions.”

Subsequent topics and speakers as

well as archived videocasts of

several past lectures will be posted

on the OCCAM Web site at

http://www.cancer.gov/cam/news/

monthly-lecture-series.html.

chronic, and supportive care

settings. 

The Cancer CAM Primer for

Oncology Nurses was split into

morning and afternoon workshops.

The morning educational

workshop included topics such as

the historical role of CAM and care

of the whole person; complexities

surrounding certification,

reimbursement, ethics, and legal

continued on next page

June Monthly Lecture Series 

speakers Dr. Aaron Katz and Dr.

Robert Newman 

stand alongside 

Dr. Oluwadamilola Olaku,

Scientific Program Analyst,

and 

Dr. Jeffrey D. White,

OCCAM Director.

OCCAM 

Monthly Lecture Series

2nd Wednesday 

of each month

10:00-11:00 a.m. ET

6130 Executive Blvd.

Conference Room J 

Bethesda, MD 20892

11

A Cancer CAM Primer for

Oncology Nurses

The Oncology Nursing Society

(ONS) sponsored its first all-day

session on cancer CAM at its 31st

Annual Congress in Boston,

Massachusetts in May 2006.

Presenters Georgia Decker, ONS

President, and Commander (CDR)

Colleen O. Lee, Practice

Assessment Program Coordinator

from OCCAM, developed the

session in response to ONS

members' requests for

comprehensive national

programming. They were joined in

the afternoon by a third presenter

Marion Bergan Irwin, a licensed

acupuncturist from Albany, New

York. The content was tailored to

nurses whose practices span from

community, hospital, to researchbased facilities involving the care of

cancer patients within acute,
considerations in the delivery of

CAM therapies by nurses and nonnurses; current evidence-based use

of conventional and CAM

modalities for symptom

management; and the potential

impact of herbs and supplements

with cytotoxic agents.

Demonstrations and hands-on

learning about acupuncture; various

herbs, vitamins, and biologics and

how to read supplement labels; and

searching CAM information

databases comprised the three

afternoon workshops. 

As a result of the success of this

year's CAM Primer, a cancer CAM

supplement will be submitted to the

Society's two peer-reviewed journals

The Oncology Nursing Forum and

The Clinical Journal of Oncology

Nursing. In addition, a pocket guide

highlighting the evidence-based

conventional and CAM

interventions for the symptoms

discussed in the Primer session will

be published. “If all goes well, our

proposal to repeat the CAM

Primer at the 2007 Congress will

be accepted. We plan to offer an

advanced tier to the session that

will provide more experiential

sessions,” said CDR Colleen Lee.

❧

...from previous page

Featured Scientific Meetings

Date Meeting Location OCCAM Staff 

Attending

October 30, 2006

November 4-8,

2006

November 9-11,

2006

CAM & Cancer Care:

Palliation and Support, Royal

Society of Medicine and The

Prince of Wales Foundation

for Integrated Health

American Public Health

Association 134th Annual

Meeting & Exposition

Society for Integrative

Oncology

Third International

Conference

London, England

Boston, MA

Boston, MA

Dr. Wendy B. Smith 

Dr. Phil Tonkins, Jr.

Shea Buckman

CDR Colleen Lee

Dr. Wendy B. Smith

Dr. Phil Tonkins, Jr.

To obtain a copy of this newsletter or for inquiries on cancer and CAM, please contact 

1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).

NIH Publication No. 06-5854

August 2006 12