Integrative Oncology Approaches to Reduce Recurrence of Disease and Improve Survival.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review synthesizing existing literature without systematic review methodology.
PubMed 38180690 · doi:10.1007/s11912-023-01467-5
What was done
This narrative review synthesized published evidence evaluating integrative oncology modalities—including diet, physical activity, stress management, social support, sleep quality, and natural products or dietary supplements—and their associations with cancer recurrence and overall survival.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical data, effect sizes, or confidence intervals. It qualitatively notes that lifestyle modifications in diet, physical activity, stress management, and sleep improve clinical outcomes, especially when targeting multiple lifestyle factors simultaneously. Outside of vitamin D supplementation to maintain adequate levels, evidence for the efficacy of natural products or supplements in reducing recurrence or improving survival remains conflicting.
Why it matters
The paper reinforces the clinical utility of comprehensive lifestyle interventions in cancer care plans while highlighting the lack of robust evidence supporting unguided natural supplement use.
Limits
The review relies on narrative synthesis without systematic inclusion criteria, risk-of-bias grading, or quantitative pooling. The abstract does not specify tumor types, disease stages, participant counts, or effect magnitudes.
Cited by
- supports While complementary interventions for cancer patients (such as art therapy, music therapy, acupuncture, and massage) improve symptoms and quality of life, clinical evidence has not shown that they improve cancer survival or reduce recurrence risk.