NCI CAMNews

Winter 2007

Vol.2 - Issue 1

On November 17, 2006, the

Office of Cancer Complementary

and Alternative Medicine

(OCCAM) hosted a half-day

meeting to which staff members

from the National Cancer

Institute (NCI), others from the

National Institutes of Health

(NIH), as well as academia were

invited to review and discuss

information about the historical

and current use of mixed bacterial

vaccines as cancer therapy. The

primary goal of the meeting was

to provide Dr. Hal Gunn, CEO

of Canada’s Centre for Integrated

Healing, with feedback regarding

the strengths and weaknesses of

his theory on the anticancer

effects of these vaccines and

suggest and examine potential

next steps in research on this

topic.

Presenters included Dr. Gunn,

Dr. Jerry Calver, president of

Calver Biologics Consulting, Inc.,

and Dr. Jeffrey White, director of

OCCAM. Dr. Gunn presented

his multifaceted theory on acute

and chronic infections and their

relation to the development and

clinical course of cancer in

addition to bacteria’s preferential

selection of certain tissue types.

He also presented the clinical

data from cancer patients whom

he treated with Mixed

Respiratory Vaccine (MRV) and

Polyvaccinum Forte (PVF). Dr.

Calver provided context to the

meeting by explaining the process

of developing, producing, and

standardizing bacterial vaccines in

Canada. Dr. White discussed

OCCAM’s prior review of

retrospective outcome data of

In this issue:

1

Feature

3

A Conversation with

5

News from the Field

6

Funding Opportunities

8

Research Resources

10

Research Highlights

11

CAM Information

13

Meetings

15

Featured Scientific

Meetings

1

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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

Discussing Possible Next Steps for Research on the Use of

Mixed Bacterial Vaccines as Cancer Therapy

Dr. Jeffrey D. White, OCCAM Director (left), and Dr. Hal

Gunn, CEO of Canada’s Centre for Integrated Healing (right)
2

patients treated with mixed

bacterial vaccines at the Centre

for Integrated Healing.

The discussion following the

presentations examined the risks

of beginning prospective clinical

research following retrospective

studies, the ethics of moving

forward with this preliminary

research, and suggested strategies

for conducting preclinical and

clinical research. Meeting

participants exchanged potential

mechanistic theories related to

mixed bacterial vaccine use in

treating cancer and discussed

ways to further this research.

Participants suggested to Dr.

Gunn reasonable next steps for

his research which included 1)

partnering with a statistician to

strengthen statistical findings

from his retrospective data, and

2) conducting preliminary

research using animal models to

better understand the

mechanisms of action, safety and

tolerability, dose ranging,

immunogenicity, as well as

provide a test for Dr. Gunn’s

theory of tissue specificity of the

anticancer effect of bacterial

vaccines.

This meeting was planned as a

result of an ongoing dialogue

between Dr. Gunn and

OCCAM, communication which

started with Dr. Gunn’s

submission in 2002 to the NCI’s

Best Case Series (BCS) Program.

The BCS Program was developed

to obtain and review sufficient

case-related information to

determine if NCI-initiated

research on a specific intervention

is warranted and to learn more

about novel and alternative

treatments for cancer that are

being used clinically. As a result

of the review of Dr. Gunn’s best

cases, he was asked to compile

survival data of all the Stage IIIb

and IV lung cancer patients

treated in his clinic over a period

of several years. In 2005, Dr.

Gunn presented the new data,

but the vaccine he had been using

(MRV) was no longer being

manufactured. Consequently, no

prospective research could be

considered by NCI. Since that

time, Dr. Gunn gained some

experience with a different

vaccine (PVF) and refined his

theory, including the proposal of

new combinations of bacterial

vaccines.

“Dr. Gunn has gone above and

beyond in his efforts to carefully

analyze his clinical experience

with this vaccine approach,” said

from previous page

Dr. White. “He has also invested

a lot of time and effort in

learning about much of the

research that addresses the

associations between

inflammation and cancer. This

meeting is the first of its type that

we have sponsored, and it is one

of a series of efforts to build more

bridges between CAM

practitioners and the cancer

researcher community. I hope

that this opportunity to interact

with experts in cancer research,

immunology, and clinical

therapeutics development will

assist Dr. Gunn in moving

forward with his plans for

prospective research of this

approach.”

Dr. Gunn agreed that the

experience with the NCI has been

positive one. "I am very grateful

to Dr. Jeff White and the

OCCAM team for their support

of this promising novel approach

to cancer treatment," said Gunn.

For more information on the

NCI BCS Program, please visit

www.cancer.gov/cam/

bestcase_intro.html. ❧

Dr. Gunn has gone above and

beyond in his efforts to carefully

analyze his clinical experience

with this vaccine approach.

“

”
You are chief of the

Community Oncology and

Prevention Trials Research

Group (COPTRG) which

manages the Community

Clinical Oncology Program

(CCOP) at NCI. Can you

tell us a little about the

CCOP program?

The CCOP program supports a

network of community physicians

to participate in NCI sponsored

clinical trials. These physician

groups participate in the NCI

Cooperative Group treatment

trials and also the cancer

prevention and control clinical

trials. Through the CCOP

program, the Cooperative Groups

and certain Cancer Centers are

funded to design and develop

cancer prevention and control

clinical trials.

How much CAM research

has been done in the

CCOPs?

Over the past several years, CAM

trials have accounted for onefourth to one-third of the

symptom management trials

funded through the CCOP

program. In addition, there have

been three funded cancer CAM

prevention trials. One example is

the SELECT (selenium and

vitamin E cancer prevention trial)

trial which has received some of

its funding from the National

Center of Complementary and

Alternative Medicine.

Can you give examples of

the types of CAM therapies

that have been investigated

in the CCOPS?

Various types of CAM therapies

have been investigated by the

CCOPs. The therapies studied

can be categorized into four types

of CAM: alternative medical

systems, mind-body therapies,

nutritional therapeutics, and

complex natural products. Two

examples of modalities from

alternative medical systems are

acupuncture and homeopathy.

Mind-body interventions that

have been studied include yoga

and mindfulness relaxation.

Coenzyme Q10, alpha-lipoic

acid, and soy protein are

examples of nutritional

therapeutics that have been

investigated in the CCOPs. In

the category of complex natural

products, examples of therapies

studied include ginger, ginseng,

and valerian.

Are there particular issues

that are unique to the

CAM research work done

in the CCOPs?

There are several issues, most of

which have been described in

detail in the Journal of Clinical

Oncology* article that several of us

here at NCI wrote entitled

“Research-design issues in cancersymptom-management trials

using complementary and

alternative medicine: lessons from

the NCI Community Clinical

Oncology Program Experience.”

There are several methodological

issues in terms of the study

design, identifying appropriate

formulations of the agent and the

A Conversation with:

Chief of the Community Oncology and Prevention Trials Research Group

Division of Cancer Prevention

Lori Minasian, M.D., FACP

Dr. Lori Minasian

continued on next page

3

*Buchanan DR, White JD, O’Mara AM, Kelaghan JW, Smith WB, Minasian LM. Research-design issues in cancer-symptom-management trials

using complementary and alternative medicine: lessons from the National Cancer Institute Community Clinical Oncology Program experience.

Journal of Clinical Oncology, September 20, 2005: 23(27): 6682-6689.
placebo, as well as the specifics

regarding quality control. There

are also unique challenges in

doing research with interventions

that require expertise that may

not be available in a conventional

medical practice setting, such as

acupuncture. The model for the

conduct of these trials is in the

practice setting of oncologists

(academic and community), such

that if the intervention is an oral

agent that can be delivered in pill

or extract formulation, the trial

runs like a standard drug trial. If

the intervention is a mind-body

or behavioral intervention which

requires substantial effort for its

delivery or requires expertise

outside the oncology nursing

expertise, then it becomes more

difficult to conduct the study.

There may be difficulty with

accrual, how to ensure quality

control of both the intervention

itself and the delivery of the

intervention, and acceptance of

the intervention by the CCOP

physicians and nurses.

With this flat NCI budget,

do you envision that CAM

research will be

sustainable?

Over the last several years, we

have consistently seen strong

interest in the study of CAM

from CCOP investigators, so I

would expect that interest in the

future would be sustained. Also,

our program, which closely

collaborates with OCCAM, is

committed to work to try to meet

the needs of investigators by

supporting this kind of research.

Of course with an ever tightening

budget, the funding of projects is

dependent on several factors

which include investigators’

interests, quality of the proposals,

as well as feasibility and cost of

the projects.

Can you give an example

of a CAM clinical trial that

has been particularly

successful or has made a

difference at the patient

level?

Unfortunately, most of the CAM

symptom management clinical

trials have been negative. In terms

of impact level, the black cohosh

study might be the most

significant. Black cohosh is an

herbal agent purported to be a

non-hormonal way to reduce hot

flashes. A randomized controlled

black cohosh study run through

the CCOP network had negative

results, thereby allowing

physicians to tell their patients

that it does not work. ❧

...from previous page

4

Related reading on CAM

research and cooperative groups

O’Mara A. Complementary and

alternative medicine research and

cooperative groups: can it happen?

Journal of Pediatric Oncology Nursing, Sep-Oct 2006; 23(5): 258-60.

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
We’ve Moved!

As the recently named director of

the National Cancer Institute,

one of Dr. John Niederhuber’s

first goals was to streamline the

NCI Office of the Director

(OD). The minor re-organization

of the NCI OD was a pro-active

effort to combat the flattening

NCI budget by combining offices

within the OD that have similar

activities and functions. In

addition, OCCAM

organizationally situated within

the OD, has also been

repositioned.

As of March 2007, OCCAM

officially transitioned and now

resides organizationally within the

NCI Division of Cancer

Treatment and Diagnosis

(DCTD), within the division’s

Office of the Director. Under the

leadership of Director, Dr. James

H. Doroshow, DCTD’s mission

is to improve the lives of the

American public by discovering

and conducting better ways to

diagnose, assess, treat, and cure

cancer through stimulating,

coordinating and funding a

national program of cancer

research. OCCAM’s programs

and activities will complement

this mission and be enhanced by

the six other major programs and

branches within DCTD:

Biometric Research Branch,

Cancer Imaging Program, Cancer

Diagnosis Program, Cancer

Therapy Evaluation Program,

Developmental Therapeutics

Program, and the Radiation

Research Program.

With Dr. Jeffrey D. White

remaining at the helm as director

of OCCAM, the office will retain

its previous day-to-day functions

and activities and office location.

The transition to the new

organizational structure has been

a seamless move for OCCAM

staff and an unnoticed change for

OCCAM grantees. “We look

forward to the potential for new

working collaborations within our

division and to strengthen our

interactions with other programs

around the Institute, both

extramural and intramural.

However, the scope of OCCAM’s

mission has not changed. We will

support and coordinate the

Institute’s CAM information and

research activities through the

spectrum of cancer research

including prevention and

symptom management,” said Dr.

White.

For more information about

NCI’s Division of Cancer

Treatment and Diagnosis, please

visit

http://www.cancer.gov/dctd/.

The First NCI Training

Grant in Integrative

Oncology Research

In September 2006, the first NCI

T32 training grant in integrative

oncology research was awarded to

Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer

Center (MSKCC).

Led by Dr. Barrie Cassileth, this

fellowship training program

supports the cultivation of clinical

and research skills among

qualified postdoctoral researchers

and physicians who have

completed residency programs.

The grant opportunity provides

training for those who will

become the future leaders in

complementary therapies and

botanicals research in oncology.

Dr. Cassileth explained that

MSKCC’s “...grant application

proposed training physicians so

they will function at a very high

level in working with cancer

patients.” Another goal is to help

physicians develop solid research

skills to look at the merits of

various complementary therapies

and the mechanisms by which the

therapies work. One M.D. or

M.D./Ph.D. will be selected each

year. Applicants may intend to

pursue academic work in surgical,

radiation or medical oncology, or

in pain and palliative care.

5

News from the Field

continued on next page
Funding Opportunities

Unsolicited/InvestigatorInitiated Research

Proposals Replaced at NIH

With the dawn of the new

electronic grant application era at

NIH, unsolicited/

investigator–initiated research

proposals will no longer be

accepted. Instead, NIH has

adopted agency-wide parent

announcements under which

these types of applications must

be submitted. The parent

announcements are specific to the

various types of grant

mechanisms and provide a more

formal and structured method for

investigators to apply.

The change in the way in which

unsolicited applications are

received coincides with the

transition to electronic grant

submissions on Grants.gov.

Submissions to Grants.gov have

to be made in response to a

particular Funding Opportunity

Announcement. This change is

not necessarily new. In fact, for

the past three years, NIH has

required parent announcements

for unsolicited small research

grants (R03) and exploratory/

developmental grants (R21). Such

announcements will now also be

used to process all grant

mechanisms in response to

unsolicited proposals including:

research project grants (R01),

conference grants (R13), AREA

grants (R15), SBIR grants (R43,

R44), STTR grants (R41, R42).

For more information about

parent announcements, please visit

the NIH’s Office of Extramural

Research online at

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

parent_announcements.htm.

6

Integrative oncology represents

the best of mainstream medical

care in oncology combined with

complementary therapies for

more comprehensive treatment.

Complementary therapies

commonly used include mindbody therapies (e.g., meditation,

self-hypnosis, and relaxation

therapies), fitness and nutrition,

massage therapies, music therapy,

acupuncture, botanicals, and

yoga. Research has shown that

some of these complementary

therapies have the potential to

reduce treatment side effects and

improve quality of life. Herbs and

other botanicals are under study

for their potential benefits against

cancer. Successful applicants will

also be trained and qualified to

practice acupuncture upon

completion of this fellowship.

Dr. David Eckstein, a Program

Director in NCI’s Cancer

Training Branch and program

official for this training grant,

explained the importance of this

work to NCI. “Many cancer

patients and physicians have an

interest in complementary

and/or alternative therapies.

Unfortunately, the acceptance of

these therapies has been stymied

by the lack of rigorous scientific

investigation.” He hopes that this

program will develop scientists

who can establish their own

independent research in

integrative oncology, by providing

them with additional training in

clinical research, complementary

medicine, and botanicals research.

❧

...from previous page
New Funding Opportunity

Announcement:

Prioritizing Molecular

Targets for Cancer

Prevention with

Nutritional Combinations

Estimates suggest that 30-70% of

all cancer cases might be

preventable by diet, depending on

the dietary components and the

type of cancer. With this

potential to prevent cancer in

mind, a new funding opportunity

announcement has recently been

released by NCI. The new

program announcement (PA)

Prioritizing Molecular Targets for

Cancer Prevention with

Nutritional Combinations (PA07-100) specifically requests

research grant applications

regarding the interrelationship

between bioactive food

components and/or food

combinations as they relate to

cancer prevention. This PA uses

the research project (R01)

mechanism to support the

investigation using new

technologies (high-throughput

genomic, epigenomic, proteomic,

and metabolomic) that can

evaluate multiple molecular

targets within the cancer

process(es).

7

Examples of applications in

response to the PA could include

but are not limited to the

following areas:

■ Comparison of the benefits

of a specific food type

versus its bioactive

component(s) in purified

form (e.g., soy versus

genistein) in terms of the

effects on cell proliferation,

apoptosis, expression of

specific genes, and the state

of the metabolome.

Appropriate models may

include cultured tumor and

normal mammary cells.

■ Comparison of the effects

of combining foods (e.g.

broccoli and tomatoes) on

gene expression patterns

(microarray analysis) in

relationship to cancer

susceptibility in appropriate

experimental animal

models.

■ Evaluation of the possible

synergy of combinations of

isolated bioactive

components (e.g.,

epigallocatechin gallate and

resveratrol) on cancerrelevant targets associated

with inflammation and

angiogenesis at the protein

level.

■ Exploration of the interplay

among dietary components

sharing a common

molecular target. Studies

may address the issue of

target “saturability” and

whether alternative targets

become more important in

such a situation. The

activation of ARE-regulated

genes involved in

carcinogen detoxification is

one scenario in which

dietary components, such

as diallyl disulfides,

sulforaphane, and/or

selenium) may “compete”

for the same molecular

target.

For more information on the

objectives, eligibility criteria,

submission process and review,

and contact information, please

visit

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

guide/pa-files/PA-07-100.html. ❧
Electronic Grant

Submission Training

Workshop

On December 5, 2006, NIH

hosted a workshop to assist

investigators and institutions with

the impending transition to the

new electronic grant application

process. The workshop, facilitated

by Chuck Selden, NIH

extramural staff training officer,

featured presentations from

Megan Columbus, the NIH

program manager for electronic

submission, and Marcia Hahn,

the director of the Division of

Grants Policy.

In addressing the new electronic

submission process, Columbus

stressed, “...fundamentally,

[NIH] policies about grants have

not changed.” She continued by

stating that the new process is

merely a way to utilize current

technology in conjunction with

federal-wide forms.

Archived via videocast online, the

workshop was broken down into

four subject areas: an overview of

the electronic submission process,

explanation of the new electronic

form SF424, a panel discussion

addressing lessons learned from

the first year of the electronic

submission process, and a

question and answer period.

While some grant

applications have

already been

transitioned to the

new electronic

process, the

remaining more

complex

applications are

scheduled to

Research Resources

How to Write a Grant in

Cancer CAM Revised

Get your copy of the recently revised

publication Strategies for Success: How to

Write a Grant in Cancer CAM. The

updated publication contains important

information about the new electronic

grant application process. You can order

a copy by calling 1-800-4-CANCER

or view it online at:

http://www.cancer.gov/cam/attachments/howtowrite.pdf

Office of Cancer Complementary

and Alternative Medicine

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes of Health

How tO Write a Grant in

Cancer CAM

STRATEGIES FOR

SUCCESS:

Natio

n

al Ca

n

ce

r In

stitute

switch over by September 2007.

Applicants should refer to the

transition timeline and note the

transition date for each

competing grant mechanism,

http://era.nih.gov/

ElectronicReceipt/

strategy_timeline.htm.

To learn more about the

electronic submission process and

to view the videocast of the

training workshop, please visit

http://era.nih.gov/

ElectronicReceipt/training.htm.

❧

8
RDSP Brochures Now Available Online!

The newly designed OCCAM Research Development

and Support Program (RDSP) brochure is now available

online. RDSP, one of three programs within OCCAM, is

tasked with creating and co-sponsoring various funding

opportunities, creating and facilitating workshops to

help investigators prepare competitive grant

applications in cancer CAM, and designing

activities that will help develop the foundation of

science in this area of medicine. The brochure

serves as an introduction to RDSP by highlighting

its various program activities.

For more information about OCCAM’s Research

Development and Support Program and to obtain

a copy of the brochure, please visit:

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

Copies of the brochures can be ordered by

calling the Cancer Information Service at

1-800-4-CANCER

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Office of Cancer

Complementary and

Alternative Medicine

(OCCAM)

Research

Development

and Support

Program

U.S. DEPARTMENT

OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes

of Health

9
A Low Fat Diet Wins

Results of the NCI sponsored

Women’s Intervention Nutrition

Study (WINS) have been released

showing that a reduction of

dietary fat can improve breast

cancer outcomes in women who

are receiving conventional

treatment for early-stage breast

cancer. The study was published

in the Journal of the National

Cancer Institute in December

2006.

The study investigated 2,437

women between the ages of 48

and 79 who were being treated at

39 medical centers throughout

the United States. The

participants were randomized to

two groups: women who ate their

regular diet and women who ate a

reduced-fat diet. The women at

the beginning of the study ate

diets averaging approximately 57

grams of fat per day. The

intervention group then reduced

their intake of fat by an average

of 24 grams per day. Although

the study design called for the

control group to maintain their

eating habits, this group reduced

their intake of fat by 5 grams a

day, an unintended outcome.

After five years of maintaining the

diet plans, a twenty-four percent

reduction in the relative risk of

recurrence for women on the lowfat diet was seen.

“In the WINS study, it took

about four years to detect a

reduction in risk, so clearly these

are not immediate effects,” John

Milner, Ph.D., chief of the

Nutritional Science Research

Group at NCI.

While the study suggests that

decreasing the amount of fat in

the diet can reduce the risk of

breast cancer recurrence, more

research is needed. "The

relationship between dietary fat

and breast cancer has been

unclear," said NCI Director John

E. Niederhuber, M.D. "Certainly

there is accumulating evidence

that a healthy lifestyle – reduced

fat consumption and exercise – is

a worthy goal to decrease risk and

to optimize long-term therapy

outcome."

Carnitine Supplementation

for Cancer-Related Fatigue:

A Clinical Trial Update

Since 2001, Dr. Ricardo

Cruciani, Vice Chair of the

Department of Pain Medicine

and Palliative Care at Beth Israel

Medical Center, has been

building a research program

investigating carnitine

supplementation for symptom

management. Dr. Cruciani, who

also serves as the Director of

Clinical and Translational

Medicine, studies carnitine as a

means to manage cancer-related

fatigue, one of the most common

side effects of cancer and cancer

treatment.

“The basis for this work stems

from reports that show low levels

of carnitine in patients with

chronic disease including cancer,”

Dr. Cruciani said. Carnitine plays

an important role in cellular

energy production by helping in

the metabolism of long chain

fatty acids, which represent a

major fuel source for tissues such

as the heart and skeletal muscle.

Levocarnitine (L-carnitine) is a

nutritional supplement that may

help alleviate fatigue by increasing

the level of carnitine in the body.

continued on next page

Research Highlights

10

Dr. Ricardo Cruciani
As principle investigator for two

NIH developmental grants, Dr.

Cruciani and his team conducted

preliminary research which led to

a Phase III trial through the

Eastern Community Oncology

Group (ECOG). ECOG,

supported through NCI’s

Community Oncology and

Prevention Trials Research Group

(COPTRG), chose Dr. Cruciani’s

concept for carnitine

supplementation for cancerrelated fatigue as one of three

studies to be “fast tracked”.

OCCAM has provided three

supplemental awards to ECOG

in support of this trial. The initial

OCCAM supplement was

awarded to support the

development of a symptom

management consortium within

ECOG. The latter two

supplements were to support this

first large scale L-carnitine

supplementation trial using the

aforementioned consortium and

to support the investigation of

associated biomarkers in the

L-carnitine trial.

In the Phase III Randomized

Study of Levocarnitine

(L-carnitine) for the Management

of Fatigue in Cancer Patients

(ECOG-4Z02), researchers are

assessing the prevalence of

carnitine deficiencies in cancer

patients and examining the effect

of carnitine supplementation in

patients experiencing moderate to

severe fatigue. Patients were

randomly assigned to receive

either levocarnitine or a placebo.

The study is now closed to

accrual and has set itself apart as

the largest and fastest accruing

symptom management trial

within the ECOG, recruiting 352

patients from multiple sites

...from previous page representing 17 states across the

United States.

This Phase III clinical trial is a

triumph on several levels for

ECOG. “This CAM study is

significant, because it uses a low

toxicity intervention which also

happens to be low tech.

L-carnitine’s potential as a fatigue

treatment has a solid biological

basis, and there are also promising

clinical data in HIV patients,”

said Dr. Worta McCaskill-Stevens,

the clinical trial Program Director

within the Division of Cancer

Prevention’s COPTRG.

The results of this Phase III study

are currently being analyzed and

will be ready for release at the end

of this summer. ❧

11

CAM Information

Your Opinion Matters:

NCI Listens and Learns

In summer of 2006, the NCI’s

Office of Liaison Activities

(OLA) approached OCCAM

about participating in the NCI

Listens and Learns program, a

program sponsored by the NCI

and the NCI's Director's

Consumer Liaison Group which

allows advocates and interested

members of the public to

participate in an open dialogue

with NCI on a range of cancer

research topics. OCCAM decided

to develop two questions

regarding the fourteen PDQ®

cancer CAM information

summaries (patient-versions) for

participants to comment about:

■ Is the type of information

provided in the CAM

cancer information

summaries for patients

useful?

■ Is there a CAM therapy for

which you would like to see

a summary written?

continued on next page
12

These questions were posted for

discussion during the months of

August and September of 2006.

Six advocacy groups participated

and twenty-four comments were

submitted by the public. Next, an

executive summary of the

comments was created and

posted. The analysis of the

comments showed four major

themes of responses: usefulness of

CAM-related information

summaries, topics for future

CAM-related information

summaries, CAM-related research

topics, and use of CAM in

practice.

OCCAM reviewed the executive

summary and was happy to see

that most of the participants felt

as if the PDQ® cancer CAM

summaries were helpful. In

addition, OCCAM shared the

executive summary with the

PDQ Cancer CAM Editorial

Board, a board independent of

NCI that manages and maintains

the summaries. The Board’s input

has been included in addition to

the NCI response that has been

posted online.

To read the comments, summary,

or NCI’s response, please visit

http://ncilistens.cancer.gov/moder

ator.asp?action=discussion&discus

sion=63.

NCI’s CAM Annual Report

for Fiscal Year 2005

Available

The Office of Cancer

Complementary and Alternative

Medicine (OCCAM) is pleased to

announce that the recently

released publication, NCI’s

Annual Report on

Complementary and Alternative

Medicine: Fiscal Year 2005, is

now available electronically on

the OCCAM Web site. This

report is the first of its kind for

the National Cancer Institute and

was created in order to share with

its many stakeholders the various

contributions and activities

related to cancer CAM research

and information dissemination

that NCI supports.

NCI’s Annual Report on

Complementary and Alternative

Medicine: Fiscal Year 2005 features

an analysis of NCI’s CAM

research portfolio and highlights

examples of cancer CAM

communications, training,

conference, and research activities.

To view this report please visit:

www.cancer.gov/cam/attachments/

CAMAnnualReportFY2005.pdf.

...from previous page
New Cancer CAM

Summaries Posted

Several new and updated cancer

CAM PDQ® summaries have

been added to the OCCAM Web

site. Recognizing that there are

different audiences seeking

information on CAM, there are

two types of CAM PDQ®

summaries, patient and health

professional versions. Each peer

reviewed summary, generated by

a comprehensive literature review,

contains background information

and relevant information about

preclinical and clinical research

on the therapy of interest. The

patient version summaries are

written in question and answer

format to assist patients in

finding direct answers to the

questions that they may have

regarding a particular therapy.

New summaries for patients

include:

◆ Milk Thistle

◆ PC-SPES

◆ Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup

◆ Aromatherapy and Essential

Oils

New summaries for health

professionals include:

◆ Gerson Therapy

◆ Spirituality (revised)

CAM PDQ® cancer information

summaries are available via the

OCCAM Web site at

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

health_pdq.html. ❧

Meetings

Breakthrough Breast

Cancer Sponsors

International Conference

Breakthrough Breast Cancer

sponsored a cancer

complementary therapies

conference entitled

“Complementary Therapy

Research– Tackling the

Challenges” at the Breakthrough

Breast Cancer Research Centre at

The Institute of Cancer Research

in the United Kingdom (UK) on

Tuesday, December 12, 2006.

Breakthrough is the UK's leading

charity committed to fighting

breast cancer through research,

campaigning, and education. In

the UK, charities like

Breakthrough are frequently

involved in sponsoring,

supporting, and funding medical

research.

The conference provided

participants with the opportunity

to learn more about and address

the challenges involved in

designing and carrying out

research in complementary cancer

care as well as share their

experiences in using

complementary therapies in

research and clinical practice. The

ultimate goal was to learn from

others’ experiences, in an effort to

refine and improve research and

practice for the benefit of

patients.

Conference presenters included

Professor Alan Ashworth,

Director of the Breakthrough

Research Centre; Dr. Michelle

Kohn, Medical Advisor in

Integrated Cancer Care to

Breakthrough Breast Cancer; Dr.

Wendy B. Smith, OCCAM’s

Deputy Director and Director of

the OCCAM Research

Development and Support

Program; and Breakthrough’s

patron The Prince of Wales,

Founder and President of The

Prince’s Foundation for

Integrative Health. Topics

13

continued on next page
included lessons from research in

Europe, lessons from research in

the United States, the UK’s

position in cancer complementary

therapy research, several case

studies, and discussions about

funding opportunities.

Through a live video feed, Dr.

Smith presented information

about NCI’s efforts in developing

and supporting complementary

therapy research. Specifically, she

discussed CAM definitions and

examples, NCI’s CAM history

beginning in 1945, functions of

OCCAM, OCCAM programs,

and research funding

opportunities. Following her

presentation, Dr. Smith explained

that there are many funding

opportunities for researchers

outside of the United States. She

also suggested that international

researchers partner with United

States research institutions as

another strategy for obtaining

grant funding from the National

Institutes of Health. In addition,

Dr. Smith’s presentation helped

participants to better understand

OCCAM’s role in supporting the

advancement of research in

complementary therapies for

cancer.

OCCAM’s Monthly

Lecture Series Completes

Its First Year of

Programming

Intended as a way to acquaint the

NCI community with topics in

cancer CAM research with recent

promising findings, the OCCAM

Monthly Lecture Series was

launched in January 2006.

During the year, the program

featured eight guest lecturers

presenting topics that spanned

the range of research, various

OCCAM

Monthly Lecture Series

2nd Wednesday

of each month

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

6130 Executive Blvd.

1st floor Conference Room

Bethesda, MD 20892

cancer types, and different CAM

therapies. Examples of lecture

topics included ascorbic acid, soy

phytochemicals and tamoxifen,

thunder god vine, and green tea.

As a result of the popularity of

the lecture series with both the

NCI community and the general

public, OCCAM began to

archive videocasts of the lectures

on the OCCAM Web site in May

2006. ❧

In 2007, the OCCAM Monthly Lecture Series will feature the following guest lecturers:

March 14, 2007 Dr. Gary Stoner The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center

April 11, 2007 Dr. Srinivasa N. Raja The John Hopkins School of Medicine

May 9, 2007 Dr. Rajesh Agarwal University of Colorado Health Sciences Center

June 13, 2007 Dr. Dennis Lubahn University of Missouri-Columbia Center for Phytonutrient

and Phytochemical Studies

To view the past archived lectures or for information on other future lectures, please visit

http://www.cancer.gov/cam/news/monthly-lecture-series.html.

...from previous page

14
One major task of OCCAM’s

Communication and Outreach

Program (COP) is the promotion

of NCI’s CAM activities and

research opportunities to cancer

researchers and CAM

practitioners. OCCAM uses

many channels in order to

accomplish this task, but one

such way is by exhibiting at the

annual meetings and scientific

conferences of organizations and

societies associated with the field

of cancer and CAM. By doing

this, OCCAM has the chance to

meet and get to know members

of our primary audiences, hear

feedback directly from them

about our programs and

resources, answer questions, and

distribute publications and other

materials.

OCCAM would like to invite

you to stop by the NCI booth at

the Oncology Nursing Society

Annual Congress taking place in

Las Vegas, Nevada, April 24-27,

2007 and the American Society

of Clinical Oncology Annual

Meeting in Chicago, Illinois, June

1-5, 2007. OCCAM will have an

exhibit booth at the American

College for the Advancement of

Medicine Spring Conference in

Chicago, Illinois, May 11-13,

2007; American Association of

Naturopathic Physicians in Palm

Springs, California, August 22-

25, 2007; and the Society for

Integrative Oncology Fourth

International Conference in San

Francisco, California, November

15-17, 2007. ❧

Featured Scientific Meetings

Dr. Phil Tonkins, Jr. and

Ms. Shea Buckman staff

OCCAM’s booth at the Society

for Integrative Oncology 3rd

International Conference.

15
Date Meeting Location OCCAM Staff

Attending

April 24 -27, 2007

May 2-5, 2007

May 11-13, 2007

May 11-13, 2007

June 1-5, 2007

July 11-13, 2007

August 22-25, 2007

Oncology Nursing Society

Annual Congress*

26th Annual Scientific

Meeting of the American

Pain Society

American College for the

Advancement of Medicine

Spring Conference*

13th International Congress

on Biological Cancer

Therapy

American Society of Clinical

Oncology Annual Meeting*

Ovarian Cancer Alliance

Annual Conference

American Association of

Naturopathic Physicians*

Las Vegas, NV

Washington, D.C.

Chicago, IL

Heidelberg, Germany

Chicago, IL

Washington, D.C.

Palm Springs, CA

Shea Buckman

CDR (USPHS)

Colleen Lee

Dr. Wendy B. Smith

Shea Buckman

Dr. Jeffrey D. White

Shea Buckman

Dr. Jeffrey D. White

Shea Buckman

*Indicates that an OCCAM staff member will be at the NCI or OCCAM exhibit booth.

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. 07-5854

March 2007

16