!"# "%&

National Cancer Institute

U.S. DEPARTMENT

OF HEALTH AND

HUMAN SERVICES

National Institutes

of Health

News

Fall 2010

Vol. 5 - Issue 2

!e Newsletter of the Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine

Ayurvedic Medicine Formulations from India Reviewed 

for Cancer Treatment

A panel of researchers and 

clinicians was convened 

by the National Cancer 

Institute’s (NCI) Office of 

Cancer Complementary 

and Alternative Medicine 

(OCCAM) on June 30, 

2010 to discuss cases of 

cancer patients in India 

treated with metal-based 

Ayurvedic treatment 

(MBAT) formulations. 

!e meeting provided 

an opportunity for NCI staff and outside experts to review and discuss 

some of the case reports which Vaidya Balendu Prakash, an Ayurvedic 

practitioner from Mumbai, India had submitted via the NCI Best 

Case Series (BCS) program. Director of OCCAM’s Case Review and 

Intramural Science Program (CRISP), Dr. Farah Zia, noted, “!e NCI 

BCS program offers CAM practitioners expert assistance in identifying 

and compiling persuasive case studies as well as the opportunity to 

have their data evaluated by NCI. !e goal of the program is to make a 

determination about whether or not NCI-initiated research is warranted.”

Mr. Prakash provided background on his practice of Rasa-Chikista, a 

branch of the ancient Indian Ayurvedic medicine system, which uses 

compounds made of various combinations of native plants, animal 

products, and metals (mercury, gold, silver, copper, iron, tin, lead, and 

zinc). !e ayurvedic compounds are created through a “tedious method of 

preparation” of grinding, heating and combining the various compounds 

that can take 2-3 years to complete for each batch, he noted. 

Mr. Prakash learned about the preparation and use of ayurvedic medicines 

from his father, an Ayurvedic physician who used one of the compounds 

to treat cancer for the first time in 1973 in a 38-year-old man with 

pancreatic cancer. !e patient, who was considered terminally ill, had 

noticeably improved after six months treatment, and he remains alive 

today, Mr. Prakash reported. Despite this success, his father was unable 

to consistently replicate the results with other cancer patients, which 

Mr. Prakash later understood was probably due to batch variations in the 

ayurvedic formulation process.

In this issue:

1

Feature

3

A Conversation with

5

News from the Field

7

Funding Opportunities

9

Reseach Resources

10

Research Highlights

12

CAM Information

14

Meetings

16

Featured Scientific 

Meetings

1

continued on next page

Vaidya Balendu Prakash, an Ayurvedic 

practitioner, presents his clinical findings to NCI 
confirmation of the patients’ diagnoses 

very difficult. Mr. Prakash apologized 

and noted he usually was unable to 

get good quality slides and pathology 

reports from the hospitals his patients 

had attended before, during, and after 

ayurvedic treatment.

Dr. David Newman, director of 

NCI’s Natural Products Branch, 

questioned Mr. Prakash about the 

controls and standardization used in 

the ayurvedic formulation process. 

Dr. Newman also asked if Mr. Prakash 

conducted chemical analyses of the 

individual batches of the ayurvedic 

compounds to help identify what 

specific chemicals may be causing 

the responses in the cancer patients. 

Mr. Prakash said he has taken steps 

to achieve standardization of the 

batches, monitoring and controlling 

the temperatures used in melting and 

combining the various ingredients, 

including the metals used in creating 

the ayurvedic medicines. However, 

After the death of his father, Mr. 

Prakash decided to prepare the 

same ayurvedic medicines while 

documenting the process and has 

used these preparations on many 

cancer patients. He presented findings 

from case studies of 14 patients with 

different leukemias and solid tumors 

treated with ayurvedic compounds. 

#e typical treatment lasts 5-7 years, 

Mr. Prakash noted. He reported 

uniformly positive responses and longterm survival for most of the patients.

Dr. Irina Maric, a pathologist at the 

National Institutes of Health (NIH) 

Clinical Center, reviewed cytology 

slides from a few of Mr. Prakash’s case 

studies, that include patients who 

were treated by him in the late 1990s. 

“#e slides are about 13-years-old 

now, and there is marked degradation 

of the material in the slides and very 

poor preservation,” she said, making 

NCI staff discuss Mr. Prakash’s cases in a lively roundtable discussion.

2

from previous page he acknowledged that he has not done 

chemical analyses of his ayurvedic 

compounds but that he is currently in 

discussions with a center in India to 

do so.

#e remainder of the discussion 

explored Mr. Prakash’s past attempts 

and future plans to participate in 

collaborative clinical research projects 

and the kind of information that 

would be necessary to complete 

the NCI Best Case Series review. 

OCCAM’s director, Dr. Jeffrey White 

promised to follow up with Mr. 

Prakash to request additional data and 

case studies of more recent patients 

and to make suggestions for next steps 

in NCI’s evaluation of the ayurvedic 

compounds. Such investigations fit 

with the Institute’s CAM research 

goals to study novel therapeutics in the 

pharmacopoeia of traditional medical 

systems around the world, Dr. White 

said. !
responsibilities over the caBIG® 

program and represent it in a variety of 

settings.

 

Do you think cancer research on 

complementary and alternative 

medicine (CAM) is different than 

conventional medicine research 

and does it have different data 

sharing needs?

I don’t think that CAM research 

is fundamentally different than 

conventional medical research. All of 

the caBIG tools are as applicable to 

CAM investigations, and I believe that 

CAM researchers have the same needs 

to integrate information or collaborate 

with others.

"e difference between CAM and 

more conventional researchers is that 

a big part of caBIG® is usage of data 

standards, controlled biomedical 

terminologies and data elements to 

describe the data you’re collecting. For 

the more conventional clinical trials, 

we have many standards, data elements 

and terminologies already available to 

support research in those areas. 

One of the things we hope to do in 

working with CAM partners is to 

help them devise the standards and 

terminologies that are needed in CAM 

and face-to-face to discuss needs in 

particular research domains. "ere are 

four of these “domain” workspaces: 

Integrative Cancer Research, Tissue 

Banks and Pathology Tools, Clinical 

Trials Management Systems and in vivo 

Imaging. In addition we have what are 

known as “cross cutting” and “strategic” 

workspaces that deal with semantics, 

interoperability infrastructure, training 

and data sharing and intellectual 

capital.

To date, we have built 78 tools to 

support various areas of research 

including microarray management and 

analysis, proteomics, nanotechnology, 

storage, annotation and analysis of 

images, and biobanking software. We’ve 

also made investments in the area of 

clinical trials software by developing 

a Clinical Trials Management Suite 

that includes a patient registration 

module, an adverse event module, a 

laboratory integration hub and a study 

calendar. All of these tools are designed 

to be interoperable using caBIG® 

infrastructure.

"e director of caBIG® is Kenneth 

Buetow, Ph.D., who is also director 

of the NCI Center for Bioinformatics 

and Information Technology (CBIIT). 

I support Dr. Buetow as the Deputy 

Director of CBIIT. In this role, 

I have fairly broad management 

A Conversation with:

George A. Komatsoulis, Ph.D.

Deputy Director

NCI Cancer Biomedical Informatics Grid (caBIG®)

What is caBIG® and what is your 

role in this NCI program?

NCI’s Cancer Biomedical Informatics 

Grid® (caBIG®)(https://cabig.nci.nih.

gov/) enables the implementation 

of molecular medicine by creating a 

world wide web of cancer research; 

a virtual network of interconnected 

data, individuals, and organizations 

that redefines how research is 

conducted, care is provided, and 

patients/participants interact with 

the biomedical research enterprise. 

"e caBIG program brings cancer 

researchers together by supporting 

communities, providing access to 

content and enabling connectivity. 

caBIG® is a federation; data is managed 

by the organizations that generate 

it with the caBIG® interoperability 

infrastructure (called caGrid) enabling 

data sharing to authorized individuals 

both within and between organizations.

We build caBIG® tools to support 

the needs of cancer researchers. 

"ese needs were identified through 

a series of outreach activities in the 

cancer research community that 

began in 2003. We continue to 

engage the community through a 

series of “workspaces”- groups that 

meet regularly by teleconference 

3

Dr. George Komatsoulis 

continued on next page
sense, turn it into a commercial or 

non-commercial product supports 

specialized communities. Because 

the caBIG® tools start out as free, 

open source software, these groups 

can develop tools that they can more 

easily offer free, or at a reduced price.

Have you received specific 

requests and inquiries about 

caBIG® from CAM researchers?

In addition to the projects in India 

I mentioned, we have some early 

phase discussions going on with 

some groups in China, and we’re 

also working with OCCAM right 

now to identify opportunities for 

use of caBIG® technologies for CAM 

research projects. Frankly, one of the 

reasons we’ve been having discussions 

with the CAM community is because 

we think that caBIG® tools have a 

particular value for CAM research. 

CAM researchers may not have the 

same level of funding as industrysponsored studies and because 

caBIG® software is free, it represents 

an opportunity for researchers to gain 

access to a world-class, productiongrade clinical trial and genomics 

research infrastructure. !

to support research into traditional 

Ayurvedic medicine. "ey used the 

caBIG® Clinical Trials Suite and found 

that when they register patients into 

these trials, there was some additional 

information they wanted to have 

in the caBIG® patient registration 

module. "ey therefore took the 

module and extended it to support 

a set of questions that support the 

kinds of information you would want 

on a patient treated with Aryuvedic 

medicine. 

"is modified caBIG® system is now 

being offered to participant institutions 

in India for use as they perform clinical 

trials. It is quite exciting because 

we have wanted researchers to take 

caBIG® technology, modify it for 

their own specific purposes – in this 

case for CAM trials – and then move 

forward to provide those capabilities to 

their research communities. Further, 

this is another step toward assessing 

traditional products and practices in a 

manner consistent with the standards 

used to assess standard medical 

practice.

We’re hoping to see other groups take 

our technology and where it makes 

research. For example, we are in the 

process of registering the questions 

from the Ayurveda extension to our 

registration module; once there, they 

are available to other trials.

With that said, many of the 

assessments that are going to be 

done in a CAM clinical trial are 

ultimately going to be the same as for 

conventional treatments. "e same 

laboratory values, outcomes measures, 

and patient demographic data are 

going to need to be collected. Where 

we’re catching up in is in the area 

of getting good descriptors for the 

CAM treatment regimens and getting 

the CAM compounds appropriately 

characterized. Ultimately, after the first 

CAM trial is done using caBIG® tools, 

the next CAM study will be able to use 

the content from the first trial.

We’re looking to engage the CAM 

community so that what we build 

and create for caBIG® is usable and 

accessible to them as much as it is for 

conventional cancer research. For any 

CAM researchers who have questions 

about caBIG®, we’re happy to sit down 

and talk to them about the capabilities 

that we can create, so they can make a 

decision as to whether or not caBIG® 

technology is something that is useful 

for them and their work.

Could you provide an example of 

some CAM research studies using 

caBIG® tools?

A private company in India, 

BioMantra, that supports research 

from the Department of AYUSH 

(Ayurveda, Yoga, Naturopathy, 

Unani, Siddha and Homeopath) 

of the Indian Ministry of Health 

and Family Welfare, has taken some 

caBIG® technologies and adapted them 

4

from previous page

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

Contact Information
NIH Advocates Use of Plain Language for Research Grant Applications

The NIH Office of Extramural 

Research (OER) is asking current 

and future research grantees to use 

“plain” professional language in titles, 

abstracts, and statements of public 

health relevance in their NIH grant 

applications. “It is vital that the NIH 

makes information about the scientific 

projects we fund available to the public 

and Congress in a way that clearly 

relays the value and potential impact 

of the research on public health,” OER 

stated. 

Tips for writing in a plain language 

style include:

1. Remember that the audience 

reading the title, abstract, and 

public health relevance statements 

may not be scientists.

 

2. Avoid scientific jargon or technical 

writing.

3. Communicate the bigger picture. 

State what you are proposing, why 

it is important, and explain the 

potential impact on public health.

Additional information about plain 

language grant submissions is found 

at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/plain_

language.htm. !

News from the Field

NCI Surveying Integrative Medicine Programs in the US

OCCAM and NCI’s Office of 

Communications and Education 

(OCE) are conducting a brief but 

comprehensive survey and inventory 

of integrative medicine programs 

offered by NCI Cancer Centers and 

other academic institution-based health 

centers in the United States.

“There are current knowledge gaps 

in the literature, on the Internet, and 

within and among health centers in 

the US regarding research, clinical, and 

outreach/communications programs in 

cancer complementary and alternative 

medicine,” noted CDR (U.S. Public 

Health Service) Colleen Lee, M.S., 

CRNP, AOCN®, nurse consultant 

with OCCAM. To address those 

gaps, NCI will survey and interview 

integrative medicine staff from among 

the 66 NCI-designated Cancer 

Centers and the US members of the 

46 institutions in the Consortium 

of Academic Health Centers for 

Integrative Medicine (CAHCIM).

The NCI survey will inventory 

the research, clinical practices, and 

educational programs in integrative 

medicine offered at the health centers. 

In the research area, OCCAM 

staff intend to use the information 

gained in this project to expand their 

awareness of the key experts within 

those institutions and the extent to 

which they are collaborating with 

clinical CAM resources. “We believe 

there is probably some research overlap, 

and the institutions can benefit from 

knowing one another’s work, and 

maybe save some time and funding 

and advance science a little more 

quickly,” said CDR Lee. OCCAM 

will also develop an interactive map 

of integrative medicine centers in 

the US which will allow researchers, 

practitioners, and educators to easily 

find additional information about the 

institutions. !

5

The use of complementary and 

alternative medicine by cancer patients 

is widespread and growing. Recent 

studies have estimated that between 

30%-70% of cancer patients use one 

or more therapies that fall under the 

CAM umbrella, and this number will 

likely continue to increase. To date, the 

studies estimating CAM use among 

cancer patients in the United States 

have come from individual institutions, 

or have aggregated many such smaller 

reports. Currently, no national cancer 

registry collects detailed data on CAM 

for use by the research community.

This data gap may soon be addressed. 

Recently, OCCAM and NCI’s 

Surveillance, Epidemiology and End 

Results (SEER)(http://seer.cancer.gov/) 

program have begun a discussion on 

the feasibility of expanding SEER’s 

data collection on CAM use. The 17 

current SEER-participating cancer 

registries cover approximately 28% of 

SEER and OCCAM Explore a Potential New Collaboration

continued on next page
6

the U.S. population, providing a rich 

data resource for researchers studying 

all aspects of cancer incidence and 

treatment.

“Access to better CAM data in SEER 

would be of great significance for 

CAM research, because SEER provides 

access to such a large database of 

the American population,” said Isis 

Mikhail, M.D., M.P.H., Dr.P.H., 

director of OCCAM’s Extramural 

Research Program, who is leading 

the OCCAM side of the discussion. 

“CAM use is becoming more and more 

prevalent among cancer patients and 

CAM research is growing, so it would 

be beneficial to have more specific 

information about what kinds of CAM 

patients are using,” she added.

In April 2010, Dr. Mikhail and Ms. 

Antoinette Percy-Laurry from SEER 

presented the concept of a potential 

OCCAM-SEER collaboration at the 

annual meeting of the National Cancer 

Registrars Association (NCRA). Over 

300 registrars from all over the United 

States attended the session. “The 

registrars are seeing a lot of CAM use, 

and it’s something that appears to 

be of growing interest,” Dr. Mikhail 

recounted.

Currently, SEER collects all CAM 

use data under a single code in the 

‘Other Therapy’ category. This single 

code provides no specific information 

other than the fact that a treatment 

potentially classified as CAM was 

used. Following the NCRA meeting, 

Dr. Mikhail and Ms. Percy-Laurry 

proposed a set of new codes that could 

better represent the diverse types of 

CAM used by cancer patients. (See 

sidebar at left) The proposal is being 

considered by several technical and 

policy review groups responsible for 

setting standards for cancer registry 

data systems in the United States.

PROPOSED NEW 

CATEGORY

INCLUDES ONE OR MORE OF 

THE FOLLOWING

No CAM given It is known that the patient did not receive CAM

CAM, NOS It is known the patient used some type of complementary 

or alternative medicine, unknown what type

Alternative medical systems • Traditional Chinese medicine

• Homeopathy

• Acupuncture 

• Ayurvedic medicine

Nutritional therapeutics • Diet modification: e.g. vegetarianism

• Specific foods, nutrients, non-nutrients

• Bioactive food components

• Examples: vitamins, antioxidants, soy phytoestrogens, 

CoQ10, etc.

Pharmacological and 

biologically-based therapies

• Off-label use of prescription drugs not traditionally 

used as cancer therapies, hormones, vaccines, and other 

biological interventions

• Examples: low dose Naltrexone, Melatonin, 

antineoplastions, Laetrile, etc.

• Complex natural products

• Botanicals: herbs and herbal extracts, mistletoe

• Extracts from marine animals, i.e., shark cartilage

Exercise therapies • Aerobics

• Isometrics

• T’ai Chi

• Yoga

Manipulative and body-based 

therapies

• "erapeutic massage

• Osteopathy

• Chiropractic

• Reflexology

Energy therapies • Electromagnetic-based therapies such as pulse fields and 

magnetic fields

• Biofield therapies such as Reiki, Qi gong

• "erapeutic touch

Mind-body interventions • Meditation

• Hypnosis

• Art therapy

• Biofeedback

• Imagery

• Relaxation therapy

• Support groups

• Music therapy

• Cognitive-behavioral therapy

• Aromatherapy

Spiritual therapies • Intercessory prayer

• Spiritual healing

Unknown if CAM was given It is unknown if CAM was given

Following the 2010 meeting of the National Cancer Registrars Association, 

representatives from OCCAM and SEER proposed new categories for data 

collection on CAM use in the United States. "is proposal is being considered 

by several technical and policy review groups responsible for setting standards for 

cancer registry data systems in the U.S.

from previous page
In March 2008, the National 

Cancer Institute, National Institute 

of Nursing Research, National 

Institute on Aging, and National 

Center for Complementary and 

Alternative Medicine released 

Program Announcement (PA) PA08-121 titled “Symptom Interactions 

in Cancer and Immune Disorders 

(R01)”. This PA seeks research that 

will work towards identifying and 

assessing interactions among two or 

more related co-occurring symptoms 

and “characterize mechanisms and 

pathways underlying the symptom 

interaction”. It also encourages research 

that can more closely define and 

categorize a symptom cluster. Both 

observational and intervention research 

is encouraged.

To learn more about this PA, please 

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

pa-files/PA-08-121.html. !

Funding Opportunities

Funding Available for Research Focused on Symptom Interactions in Cancer 

and Immune Disorders 

Over the past ten years, symptom 

research has been an area of interest 

to the cancer research community, 

with a particular focus on the interrelationship between various common 

cancer symptoms. Researchers have 

begun to consider the interactions of 

symptoms as a cluster instead of just 

focusing on individual symptoms, for 

example, pain depression, and fatigue. 

To better understand the mechanisms 

of symptom interaction and further 

the symptom cluster concept, more 

research is needed. 

7

CAM data collection could potentially 

pose a special challenge for SEER, 

which is very much dependent on 

medical records, primarily from 

hospitals, explained SEER Director 

Brenda K. Edwards, Ph.D. Physicians 

do not always ask patients about CAM 

use and patients often do not think 

to volunteer that information or may 

choose to not do so, for fear that a 

doctor might tell them to stop using 

CAM treatments.

“There are many domains of CAM, 

and some aren’t that likely to be 

recorded in a medical record,” said 

Dr. Edwards. “If we can’t find it in 

a medical record we can’t collect 

the information through routine 

operations. And if we can’t collect the 

data we don’t know if it’s something 

that didn’t happen or if it did happen 

and just didn’t get included in the 

medical chart. We need to get a better 

handle on what is recorded versus 

what is actually happening” in terms of 

CAM use.

Such an understanding would require 

a pilot project in one or two SEER 

registries, which could potentially 

happen in 2012. A pilot project would 

begin with officially defining the 

elements to be collected and vetting 

them with other national registry 

groups. 

“Once the data to be collected has 

been defined, we like to gather some 

background information on how easy 

or hard it is for a registrar to collect 

this data,” explained Dr. Edwards. 

“Basically, we would be asking what 

would you collect, how would you do 

it, and if can you find it.” 

Some well-established CAM 

interventions that are often offered 

within cancer centers – such as 

nutritional interventions, exercise 

therapy, massage, and acupuncture – 

may be easier than others to capture, 

she said. But even those items will 

challenge registrars, since it may 

not always be clear whether patients 

began use of these therapies after a 

cancer diagnosis, or if they had already 

integrated them into their lifestyle.

“These issues aren’t insurmountable, 

but it’s a big effort to create a new data 

element that’s collected with integrity,” 

said Dr. Edwards. “We want to collect 

data that are meaningful, and have 

confidence in the quality of the data,” 

she concluded. !

Therapies, originally released on 

May 27, 2010 solicits research 

applications exploring the basic 

science and mechanisms of action 

underlying the biomechanical, 

immunological, endocrinological and/

or neurophysiological consequences of 

manual therapies.

Manual therapies focus on a host of 

techniques that target structures and 

systems of the body such as bones and 

joints, muscles, connective tissues, and 

the neurological systems. The belief 

that reducing abnormal stresses and 

improving alignment of the skeleton 

Biology of Manual Therapies (R01) studied at NIH 

The National Cancer Institute and the 

National Center for Complementary 

and Alternative Medicine are 

committed to funding large projects 

that study manual therapies such as 

spinal manipulation, mobilization 

and massage therapy. The funding 

opportunity announcement (FOA) 

titled PA-10-209: Biology of Manual continued on next page
8

and its associated soft tissues will elicit 

the body’s natural ability to heal is a 

driving force in these therapies.

Examples of appropriate investigations 

for this FOA include, but are not 

limited to:

1. Imaging studies of the central 

nervous system response to 

manual therapies using relevant 

technologies (e.g., fMRI, PET, 

SPECT, EEG, etc.) with the goal of 

elucidating mechanisms that result 

in modulation of chronic pain;

2. Development of validated 

biomarkers for back pain that 

would be used in subsequent 

clinical studies of manual therapies;

3. Measurement of physiological 

changes that may result from 

manual therapies, with emphasis on 

the nervous system (and especially 

the central nervous system), 

immune system, endocrine system, 

and interactions thereof.

More examples and information 

are available on the program 

announcement web page at: 

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

pa-files/PA-10-209.html. 

You may also contact Dr. Isis Mikhail, 

Director of the Extramural Research 

Program, in the Office of Cancer 

Complementary and Alternative 

Medicine at NCI for more information 

or guidance when applying for this 

announcement. Dr. Mikhail can be 

reached at: mikhaili@mail.nih.gov. !

The Role of Microbial Metabolites in Cancer Prevention and Etiology (U01)

This FOA utilizes the U01 cooperative 

agreement mechanism and encourages 

research to better understand the 

role of dietary components in cancer 

etiology, prevention, and cancer 

health disparities to identify who 

might benefit from specific dietary 

recommendations and who might be 

placed at risk. 

Program Announcement (PA) number 

PAR-10-208 titled the “The Role 

of Microbial Metabolites in Cancer 

Prevention and Etiology (U01)” 

was initially released on May 27, 

2010 by the NCI and the National 

Center for Complementary and 

Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). 

This announcement encourages the 

submission of grant applications 

that characterize the effects of 

microbially generated metabolites 

of dietary components on host cell 

biology to understand the molecular 

mechanisms of action that affect host 

cell proliferative/apoptotic responses, 

cytokine production, inflammatory 

and immunomodulatory effects. 

Human intervention studies that 

identify inter-individual variability 

among various racial and ethnic 

groups in the production of bacterial 

metabolites will help determine their 

efficacy in cancer prevention.

One of the goals of this PA is 

to facilitate interdisciplinary 

collaborations among scientists 

engaged in nutrition, cancer 

prevention, cancer cell biology 

research, and cancer disparities 

research with those conducting 

studies with gut microorganisms. All 

applications must include multiple 

principle investigators with different 

areas of expertise such as microbiology, 

nutrition, cancer biology, analytical 

chemistry, or genetics.

Specific research areas of interest 

include, but are not limited to, the 

following areas:

• Examining metabolites of 

polyphenols generated by gut 

bacteria and determine their 

role in inflammation and 

colorectal cancer. 

• Utilizing mouse models of 

human cancer with either 

a human flora or germ free 

for evaluating the role of soy 

constituents/metabolites on 

key cancer related processes.

• Examining urolithin 

production in humans as a 

function of ellagic acid intake 

on activities and expression of 

cytochrome P450 and phase II 

enzymes in human buccal cells 

and esophageal tissue. 

• Evaluating the role of dietary 

animal fat on the population 

of sulfur-reducing bacteria and 

their production of genotoxic 

metabolic products such as 

hydrogen sulfide. 

For more information about this 

program announcement visit the web 

page at http://grants.nih.gov/grants/

guide/pa-files/PAR-10-208.html and/or 

contact Cindy Davis, Ph.D. at 

davisci@mail.nih.gov. !

from previous page
9

Research Resources

In a policy that became effective for 

grant applications submitted for the 

September 25, 2010 receipt date, 

certain types of late grant application 

materials will no longer be accepted. 

The new NIH policy encourages 

applicants to submit completed grant 

applications that are ready for review 

in order to expedite and provide 

uniformity in the review process.

However, NIH understands that 

unforeseen circumstances may still 

require late submission of certain 

materials to ensure an informed 

evaluation of the application. Postsubmission material exceptions, which 

must be received 30 days prior to the 

initial peer review, include:

• Revised budget page(s) (e.g., 

change in budget request 

due to new funding or 

institutional acquisition) 

• Biographical sketches (e.g., 

change in senior/key 

personnel due to the loss of an 

investigator) 

• Letters of support or 

collaboration resulting 

from a change in senior/key 

personnel due to the loss of an 

investigator 

• Adjustments resulting from 

natural disasters (e.g., loss of 

an animal colony) 

• Adjustments resulting from 

change of institution (e.g., PI 

moved to another university)

• News of an article accepted for 

publication 

A few other exceptions are outlined 

in the notice, which can be viewed on 

NIH’s Office of Extramural Research’s 

web site: http://grants.nih.gov/grants/

guide/notice-files/not-od-10-091.html.

!

New Policy Requires Grant Applications to be Complete Upon Initial Submission

NIH strives to streamline the process 

of information management and 

sharing. With 27 Institutes and 

Centers any attempt to integrate 

processes and procedures is integral 

in advancing science from both the 

perspective of the laboratory and 

the library. The Electronic Research 

Administration (eRA) Commons 

systems provide information 

technology solutions to support 

the grants administration process 

from electronic grant submission, 

processing, review, and bibliography 

management. eRA Commons allows 

research program directors and 

principal investigators to use the 

publications page of their personal 

profiles as a library for publications 

resulting from their funded grants. 

However, the current eRA system 

for bibliographic management was 

not meeting the needs of the NIH 

community. Because of this, the NIH 

has partnered with the the National 

Center for Biotechnology Information 

(NCBI) to link NCBI’s personal 

online bibliography management tool 

“MyNCBI”[ http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.

gov/sites/myncbi/] with the current eRA 

Commons personal research profile 

bibliography Management system. 

The NCBI system is a more efficient 

and accurate way to manage 

professional bibliographies and ensure 

compliance with the NIH Public 

Access Policy, available here: 

http://publicaccess.nih.gov/. The 

change, effective July 23, 2010, 

required users to use the NCBI 

“My Bibliography” tool. This tool 

helps maintain a list of authored works, 

such as journal articles and manuscripts 

accepted for publication. For more 

information on the integration and 

how to better use NIH eRA and NCBI 

information organizing tools, visit the 

redesigned eRA web site at 

http://era.nih.gov/. !

My NCBI Tool replaces eRA Commons for Bibliography Management
10

Career Development Awards Recipients Get Advice on Managing Their Grants

Research Highlights

OCCAM hosted two Cancer Research 

Training Award fellows in the summer 

of 2010, each with distinct skill sets 

and personalities, and each of whom 

contributed to the science of CAM 

in very different ways. Jeans Santana, 

a recent 2010 graduate from Boston 

College with a degree in Sociology and 

a concentration in PreMed worked with 

Drs. Farah Zia and Oluwadamilola 

Olaku in the Case Review and 

Intramural Science Program (CRISP). 

Jeans’ personal research, along with 

working closely on case reviews for the 

CRISP program, focused on Hispanics 

and CAM use. Yichao Mark graduated 

from Boston University with a B.S. in 

Biology in 2010. He worked in Dr. 

Francesco Mariconla’s laboratory in the 

Department of Transfusion Medicine 

on research related to PHY906, a 

herbal Chinese medicine preparation 

used in cancer treatment.

Each presented at the NIH Summer 

Research Program Poster Day on 

August 5, 2010 at the Natcher 

Conference Center on the main 

NIH campus in Bethesda, MD. 

Mr. Santana’s poster was titled: 

“The Use of Complementary and 

Alternative Medicine (CAM) in the 

U.S. Hispanic Population: History, 

Health Disparities and Cancer.” 

The objective of this research was to 

summarize current literature on the 

use of CAM for the management 

of cancer within the Hispanic 

population in the US and how it 

is related to health disparities. Mr. 

Mark presented on microRNA 

profiling of colorectal tumor tissues 

from rats treated with PHY906 

in conjunction with CPT11 

(Irinotecan, a chemotheraputic 

agent). Each of these posters 

attracted significant attention from 

the viewers and provided the fellows 

with valuable career experience.

For more information about 

the research presented in this 

article please contact OCCAM at 

ncioccam1-r@mail.nih.gov !

OCCAM Fellows Present CAM Data and Original Research at 

Research Poster Festival

OCCAM CRTA fellow Jeans Santana and 

Oluwadamilola Olaku, M.D., M.P.H., 

MRCOG, Case Review and Intramural Science 

Program coordinator

Selecting and applying for a NIH 

Career Development Grant award, 

or K award, as they are known, is 

a high honor, as well as an intense 

commitment. Questions can arise on 

how to select the correct award, how 

to submit applications and how to 

maintain the integrity of one’s work 

while advancing a career in a way that 

is beneficial to both the grantee and 

NIH.

Dr. Henry Khachaturian, Director of 

Policy and Liaison Activities, Division 

of Loan Repayment, discusses using 

Career Development Awards to 

achieve independence in a new podcast 

available from the Office of Extramural 

Research.

The podcast is available on the OER 

web site: http://grants.nih.gov/podcasts/

All_About_Grants/index.htm. [titled 

Using Career Development Awards 

to Achieve Independence (June 21, 

2010)] !

OCCAM CRTA fellow Yichao Mark awaits 

questions on his poster
11

Study Indicates Ginkgo Biloba Does Not Reduce the Risk of Cancer

A new analysis of data from the 

Ginkgo Evaluation of Memory 

(GEM) study suggests that the herbal 

dietary supplement Ginkgo biloba 

does not reduce the risk of most 

cancer types in older adults. Previous 

research suggested ginkgo might 

have anti-cancer properties, and this 

study investigated that possibility 

in the largest randomized, placebocontrolled trial of ginkgo to date. The 

findings were published in the journal 

Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety.

The parent study, supported in part by 

NCCAM, involved 3,069 participants 

at least 75 years old who were 

randomly assigned to take 120 mg of a 

carefully standardized ginkgo product 

or a placebo twice daily for 6 years. 

Using hospital admission and discharge 

records, the researchers observed 310 

cancer hospitalizations among the 

participants—148 in the placebo group 

and 162 in the ginkgo group.

The rate of cancer overall was similar 

between the two groups; however, 

compared with the placebo group, 

breast and colon cancers were increased 

among participants receiving ginkgo, 

while prostate cancer was reduced. 

Although these results were statistically 

significant, the researchers noted that 

the study’s small number of cancer 

cases should be taken into account 

when interpreting their findings for 

ginkgo and specific kinds of cancer. 

In addition, the scientists also point out 

that their research does not rule out the 

possibility that use of ginkgo starting 

at a younger age, or with a longer 

follow-up period might decrease cancer 

occurrence. 

Previous results of the GEM study 

showed that ginkgo had no effect on 

dementia and that it did not prevent 

heart attack, stroke, or death, but may 

reduce the risk of developing peripheral 

arterial disease. !

Reference: Biggs ML, Sorkin BC, Nahin RL, et al. Ginkgo biloba and risk of cancer: secondary analysis of the Ginkgo Evaluation of 

Memory (GEM) Study. Pharmacoepidemiology and Drug Safety. 2010;19(7):694–698. 

Reprinted from NCCAM Research Spotlight 

http://nccam.nih.gov/research/results/spotlight/072010.htm?nav=spl

Vitamin D Studied to Treat Advanced Prostate Cancer

The link between vitamin D and 

cancer risk remains a priority research 

topic. Researchers are working to 

address the unanswered questions that 

surround this connection. 

People primarily generate the vitamin 

D3 hormone (the biologically-active 

form) when their skin is exposed to 

ultraviolet B radiation from the sun, 

explained Candace S. Johnson, Ph.D., 

deputy director and the Wallace Family 

Chair in Translational Research at 

the Roswell Park Cancer Institute in 

Buffalo, New York. Dietary vitamin 

D – found in eggs, fish and fortified 

dairy and cereal products – is usually 

inadequate, so that people who live 

further from the equator or spend less 

time outdoors have higher rates of 

vitamin D deficiency, she added.

Dr. Johnson and her colleague Roswell 

Park CEO Donald “Skip” Trump, 

M.D., have been pioneering ways 

to explore the vitamin D link to 

cancer risk, particularly in prostate 

cancer. In an earlier phase II trial*, 

more than 30 percent of men had 

their prostate-specific antigen (PSA) 

levels reduced by at least half, after 

taking a form of vitamin D (1,25 

dihydroxycholecalciferol) known as 

calcitriol. The vitamin D compound 

was given along with dexamethosone 

(one of the synthetic hormones known 

as glucocorticoids), which appeared to 

improve the impact of the drug. This 

impact may be due to increasing the 

amount of vitamin D receptor (VDR) 

that is expressed on most of the body’s 

cells, including cancer cells.

* Trump DL, Potter DM, Muindi J, Brufsky A, Johnson CS. Phase II trial of high-dose, intermittent calcitriol (1,25 dihydroxyvitamin 

D3) and dexamethasone in androgen-independent prostate cancer. Cancer, May 15, 2006;106(10):2136-42.

continued on next page
12

CAM Information

NCI offers evidence-based, easily 

understandable facts on a variety of 

topics for the public. There are ten 

cancer and CAM fact sheets available 

at http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/

factsheet. Each month NCI records 

the number of page views for these 

fact sheets. At the end of the Fiscal 

Year (FY), the monthly numbers are 

added up to calculate total page views 

for the year for each fact sheet and for 

all ten. The chart to the right lists the 

statistics for the fact sheet page views 

for FY 2009. The sheets are available 

for download free of charge to the 

public and are an integral part of cancer 

education at NCI. To download the 

fact sheets visit: http://www.cancer.gov/

cancertopics/factsheet. !

NCI CAM Fact Sheets Page Views Statistics-Fiscal Year 2009

In her current NCI-funded research**, 

Dr. Johnson and her colleagues are 

looking at men previously diagnosed 

with castration-resistant prostate 

cancer whose disease has usually 

spread (metastasized) and is growing 

without restraint. “Many of them 

have persistent bone pain and are 

feeling pretty lousy,” she noted. Most 

of these patients were originally 

treated with radiation or surgery, and 

now hormonal therapy is no longer 

effective.

“Many of the men in our earlier trial 

felt better and had less bone pain 

after treatment with combination 

of calcitriol and dexamethosone,” 

explained Dr. Johnson. “We need to 

know more about what is happening 

at the molecular level, so that we can 

determine how much calcitriol we 

can give safely and the best way to 

administer it.” In some people, it turns 

out that blood levels of vitamin D do 

not simply rise when you give higher 

doses of calcitriol. “I think that the 

dosing schedule may be a crucial part 

of the vitamin D puzzle,” she said. 

Early results suggest the best strategy 

might be to give very large doses for 

one or a few days, followed by 4 or 

more days off.

But a larger problem is keeping 

cancer patients from developing 

hypercalcemia, Dr. Johnson cautioned. 

This condition arises when the calcium 

blood levels get too high and can 

sometimes lead to digestive and kidney 

problems; muscle and bone pain; 

and even psychological issues such as 

apathy, irritability, and depression. 

Dexamethasone may decrease calcium 

absorption by reducing the amount of 

VDR in the intestinal mucosa, where 

calcium enters the bloodstream, while 

at the same time increasing VDR in 

the tumor, she explained. 

So far, the greater amount of calcitriol 

that’s given, the greater the impact 

on the cancer and its symptoms, Dr. 

Johnson added. However, within 

minutes of calcitriol entering the 

bloodstream, the cyp24 gene is 

activated and starts a process that 

breaks down calcitriol. Dr. Johnson 

and her colleagues are now looking 

to add a third drug, ketoconazole, to 

the combination, with the idea that 

ketoconazole will turn off induction of 

cyp24 and thereby increase the amount 

of calcitriol actually getting to the 

prostate tumors.

“We’re looking at the whole sequence 

of events from every angle,” 

Dr. Johnson said. If their current phase 

II trial provides good information 

about dosing and effectiveness of 

calcitrol in combination with the 

two drugs, it may eventually lead to 

another treatment option in prostate 

and other solid tumors, she added. !

from previous page

**Grant number: 5R01CA85142-10

FACT SHEET TITLE TOTAL VIEWS

Antioxidants and Cancer Prevention: Fact Sheet 71,513

Calcium and Cancer Prevention: Strengths and Limits of the 

Evidence

3,622

Garlic and Cancer Prevention: Questions and Answers 14,732

Physical Activity and Cancer: Fact Sheet 9,166

Questions and Answers About Beta Carotene 

Chemoprevention Trials

2,736

Red Wine and Cancer Prevention: Fact Sheet 18,769

Selenium and Vitamin E Cancer Prevention Trial (SELECT): 

Questions and Answers

1,885

Tea and Cancer Prevention: Fact Sheet 11,853

Vitamin D and Cancer Prevention: Strengths and Limits of the 

Evidence (New)

81

Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Cancer 

Treatment: Questions and Answers

24,353

ALL 158,710
13

While most consumers may 

be familiar with professional 

licensing and credentialing for 

conventional medicine (e.g. Medical 

doctors, nurses), credentialing 

for CAM providers is not as well 

understood. The National Center 

for Complementary and Alternative 

Medicine (NCCAM) has created a new 

fact sheet on the status of credentialing 

CAM providers in the United States 

to help consumers understand CAM 

education, training, regulation, and 

licensing. The fact sheet provides an 

overview of each of these areas as well 

as specific information about state 

licensure for a few selected types of 

CAM providers. View this fact sheet on 

NCCAM’s web site: 

http://nccam.nih.gov/health/decisions/

credentialing.htm. !

NCCAM Clinical Digest: A New Monthly E-Newsletter About CAM 

New Fact Sheet on the Status of Credentialing CAM Providers

NCCAM published their first issue of 

NCCAM Clinical Digest in October, 

offering readers a new monthly enewsletter containing evidence-based 

information on CAM. The Digest will 

offer clinical guidelines, scientific literature searches, summaries of NCCAMfunded research, and fact sheets for 

patients. The first issue focused on 

cancer and CAM. To read the first issue 

and subscribe to the NCCAM Clinical 

Digest, visit: 

http://nccam.nih.gov/health/providers/

digest/cancer.htm. !

NCI Launches Cancer CAM Portal Web Site on Cancer.gov 

NCI has made it easier for individuals 

to find the latest evidence-based 

information on cancer CAM research 

and programs with the recent launch 

of a “portal” web site on NCI’s 

Cancer.gov. The web site is designed 

to be user-friendly and organizes and 

consolidates links to information 

about CAM on Cancer.gov, including 

information from OCCAM’s web site, 

NCI’s PDQ database, the NCI Cancer 

Bulletin newsletter, and the NIH 

National Center for Complementary 

and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM). 

The site, which was developed in 

consultation with OCCAM, is found 

at http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/

cam. The home page includes a video 

introduction by OCCAM Director 

Dr. Jeffrey White about the use of 

CAM in cancer. The web site organizes 

cancer CAM information into five 

sections: Alternative Medical Systems, 

Mind-Body Methods, Nutritional 

Methods, Pharmacologic and Biologic 

Treatments, and CAM News and 

Resources.

For example, under the Alternative 

Medical Systems section, users can 

find brief descriptions and links 

to the latest information about 

acupuncture, Ayurvedic medicine 

(India), homeopathy, naturopathy, 

and Traditional Chinese Medicine. 

Each CAM section also includes 

links to the OCCAM and NCCAM 

home pages. NCI web editors will be 

continually updating the CAM site as 

new information and articles become 

available. !
NCI on Facebook; Another Way to Learn About CAM 

Now you can connect with NCI on 

Facebook to receive the latest news, 

research updates, videos, and stories on 

a host of cancer topics. NCI launched 

its official Facebook page in July as 

another way to connect with and 

disseminate information to the public. 

NCI is no stranger to new media, 

already having a presence on Twitter 

and YouTube.

With over a thousand people already 

signed on as “fans” of the page, 

NCI hopes to engage its Facebook 

community and solicit feedback while 

also allowing users to share personal 

stories. The page will also serve as a 

place to learn more about different 

cancer topics like complementary and 

alternative medicine (CAM). CAM 

has already been featured on the 

page, directing fans to many resources 

available on the topic. 

Visit NCI’s Facebook page and become 

a fan at http://www.facebook.com/

cancer.gov. !

Acupuncture and Persistent Hiccups in Patients With Cancer 

Acupuncture may be a viable treatment 

for persistent hiccups in patients with 

cancer according to new case series 

research from the NIH Clinical Center 

and the NCI’s Center for Cancer 

Research. In the published article 

titled: “Acupuncture treatment for 

persistent hiccups in patients with 

cancer” sixteen male study subjects 

with cancer and persistent hiccups were 

treated with one to three acupuncture 

sessions over a one to seven day period. 

Thirteen patients experienced complete 

remission, and the remaining three 

experienced decreased hiccup severity. 

This form of CAM treatment may 

prove beneficial to those suffering 

from recurrent, persistent hiccups and 

wishing to alleviate discomfort. For 

more information please refer to the 

original study at http://www.ncbi.nlm.

nih.gov/pubmed/20575702. !

Traditional Chinese Medicine Reduces Chemotherapy Induced Side Effects

NCI-supported research from Yale 

University has studied the effects of an 

ancient four-herb Chinese Medicine 

formula called PHY906. PHY906 

is derived from a Chinese canonical 

medicine which originated 1800 years 

ago for the treatment of different 

gastrointestinal symptoms including 

diarrhea, nausea and vomiting. 

Researchers and clinicians are 

constantly searching for ways to reduce 

the side effects of chemotherapy and 

this research attempts to use PHY906 

as an adjuvant to chemotherapy 

drugs (Irinotecan, 5-fluorouracil and 

leucovorin) for treating colon or rectal 

carcinoma. Results for the murine 

(mouse) model study showed that 

PHY906 decreased animal weight 

loss caused by irinotecan, promoted 

intestinal recovery from damage 

caused by irinotecan and several other 

outcomes. For further details please 

refer to the published article in Science 

Translational Medicine: 

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/

pubmed/20720216. !

American Public Health Association Annual Meeting & Exposition

Over 13,000 public health 

professionals attended the 138th

American Public Health Association 

(APHA) Annual Meeting & 

Exposition from November 6-10, 

2010 in Denver, Colorado. More 

than 1,000 scientific sessions, 700 

booths, and over 4,000 scientific 

papers detailed the latest public health 

challenges. The theme of this year’s 

meeting focused on the link between 

social justice and public health and 

featured Dr. Cornel West and Dr. Bill 

Jenkins as the keynote speakers.

Complementary and alternative 

medicine was a topic of interest to 

many meeting attendees, with two 

days of CAM-related sessions held by 

APHA’s special primary interest group 

Alternative and Complementary Health 

Practices. Anne Doherty-Gilman, 

Associate Director of the Zakim 

Center for Integrative Therapies, 

Dana-Farber Cancer Institute and 

Program Chair for the Alternative 

and Complementary Health Practices 

group was very pleased with the quality 

of the CAM-related sessions. “This 

year’s Alternative and Complementary 

Health Practices’ sessions included an 

impressive array of innovative public 

health initiatives and scientifically 

rigorous studies that offered important 

guidance to those of us working in this 

field. It was truly inspiring to see the 

breadth of high quality work being 

done to advance the evidence base for 

these therapies and to promote access 

to wellness and whole person care,” said 

Doherty-Gilman. Highlights included 

a session on CAM for Cancer and 

Chronic Diseases and a special session 

that Dr. Isis Mikhail, M.D., M.P.H., 

Dr.P.H., OCCAM’s Extramural 

Meetings

14
Sign-up for OCCAM’s Listserv

Stay up-to-date on the latest cancer CAM news at NCI with OCCAM’s listserv, OCCAM Announcements. 

As a listserv subscriber, you will receive a monthly email about upcoming workshops and lectures, new 

funding opportunities, publications, and other resources. To subscribe, simply visit OCCAM’s web site:

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

Research Program director and Dr. 

Wendy Weber, N.D., Ph.D., M.P.H. 

from NCCAM led on NIH grants 

applicable for the public health field.

Dr. Mikhail was also impressed with 

this year’s meeting. “There is a growing 

interest in CAM research at APHA. It’s 

evident not only through the CAMrelated conference sessions, but also 

through the attendees I talked to about 

cancer CAM research and the research 

abstracts presented during the poster 

sessions.” Dr. Mikhail also participated 

in NCI’s “Meet the Expert” session 

at the NCI expo booth. As one of 19 

NCI experts she was able to connect 

with many researchers interested in 

funding opportunities at NCI. 

NCI had a large presence at APHA, 

connecting with health professionals 

about NCI programs, products, and 

services. This year the NCI expo booth 

won first place for a non-profit, island 

exhibit booth. Improved IT services at 

the booth allowed meeting attendees to 

order NCI publications and have them 

shipped directly to their offices. NCI 

also had a big screen TV showcasing 

NCI web sites and a seating area for 

presentations of interest to meeting 

attendees. !

OCCAM Staff Attends Leading Integrative Oncology Conference

The Society for Integrative Oncology 

hosted its Seventh International 

Conference at the New York Academy 

of Medicine in New York City, New 

York, November 11-13, 2010. The 

Society for Integrative Oncology 

(SIO) is a non-profit organization of 

research professionals and practitioners 

dedicated to studying and facilitating 

cancer treatment and the recovery 

process through the use of integrated 

complementary treatment options. 

SIO’s conference draws attendees 

from around the world because of 

its important lectures, scientific 

sessions and tight focus on the field 

of integrative oncology. The title of 

this year’s conference, “Integrative 

Oncology: Informing the Debate in 

Practice, Research and Public Policy”, 

placed an especially important focus on 

public policy in this time of health care 

reform and change. 

OCCAM’s Communications and 

Outreach Program exhibited at the 

conference and handed out research 

grant information and patient 

education materials to attendees as 

well as discussed aspects of OCCAM’s 

research portfolio. Information about 

funding opportunities in integrative 

oncology was of great importance to 

those that visited the booth. 

Dr. Isis Mikhail, M.D., M.P.H., 

Dr.P.H., director of the Extramural 

Research Program(ERP) at OCCAM 

sat on a panel titled: “Career 

Development Workshop for CAM 

Practitioners and Students.” Dr. 

Mikhail noted, “This workshop 

was received very positively by the 

audience that included a group 

of physicians, junior research 

investigators, practitioners, postdoctoral fellows, among others. The 

panel included speakers from NIH 

(NCCAM, NCI, National Institute 

of Nursing Research), cancer research 

organizations (American Cancer 

Society and American Institute for 

Cancer Research), and academia; and 

addressed different areas of interest 

and prospects for career development. 

A number of attendees used this 

opportunity to communicate with the 

speakers who made themselves available 

for additional inquiries after the end of 

the session.”

 Dr Dan Xi, Ph.D., program officer 

at OCCAM also took part in a panel 

titled: “Whole Systems Workshop” 

in which she presented a talk titled: 

“Traditional Chinese Medicine, 

Systems Biology and Systems 

Medicine”. She stated that the topics 

of the workshop were extremely 

relevant to Cancer CAM research 

because: “many CAM interventions use 

personalized whole systems approaches 

to patient care. This provided the 

platform for research methodology 

discussion, information exchange, and 

education.”

Conference chair Heather Greenlee, 

N.D., Ph.D. wrote that this year’s 

conference goals included addressing 

the challenges facing integrative 

oncology in the era of healthcare 

reform, indentifying gaps in 

integrative oncology comparative 

effectiveness research and issues 

related to reimbursement for services. 

Three days of scientific sessions 

covered various aspects of integrative 

oncology from emerging research in 

vitamin D supplementation, energy 

balance in cancer survivorship and 

patient advocacy. Information about 

the conference and the Society for 

Integrative Oncology are available at 

the Society’s web site at http://www.

integrativeonc.org/. !

15
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. 11-5854

January 2011

16

Date Meeting Location OCCAM Staff

Attending

*Dr. Isis Mikhail will be at the NCI booth (Booth #1220) for a Meet-the-Expert session on Monday, Nov. 8, 11:00 am.

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

Vitamin C and Cancer 

Symposium 

Symposium of Integrative 

Medicine Professionals the 

Land of Enchantment

2010 International Cancer 

Education Conference - 20th 

Annual CPEN Meeting

American Public Health 

Association Annual Meeting & 

Exposition*

Society for Integrative 

Oncology**

October 8-9, 2010

October 10-14, 2010

October 24-27, 2010

November 6-10, 2010

November 13-14, 2010

Wichita, KS

Albuquerque, NM

San Diego, CA

Denver, CO

New York City, NY

Dr. Oluwadamilola 

Olaku

Dr. Oluwadamilola 

Olaku

Elizabeth Austin

Dr. Isis Mikhail

Miriam Al Keliddar

Elizabeth Austin

Dr. Libin Jia

Dr. Isis Mikhail

Dr. Dan Xi 

Featured Scientific Meetings