Integrative oncology programs can help reduce cancer symptoms, improve quality of life
Pioneering integrative oncologist Dr. Gary Deng joins UCI Health to lead new program
IN THE NEWS: Cancer research conducted over the last several decades has demonstrated that integrative medicine helps to reduce and manage cancer symptoms, says Dr. Gary Deng, an internationally respected pioneering oncologist and the director of the new Integrative Oncology Program at the UCI Health Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, in partnership with the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute.
He recently spoke with Becker’s Hospital Review about the evolution of the cancer treatment field. He also discussed his priorities for the program.
“I plan to launch a demonstrational clinical practice that both patients and healthcare professionals would view as a valuable resource at UCI Health. I will also collaborate with researchers. Research is the foundation for advancement in the oncology field.”
Deng addressed how integrative cancer treatments can improve clinical outcomes and quality of life as advancements enable people to live longer with the disease. Cancer is now chronic, he says.
"What is the point of living longer but feeling debilitated and miserable every day? That’s why quality of life is equally important as quantity of life in chronic disease management.
“According to one study, a whole-person care approach is associated with a more pathological complete response in breast cancer patients undergoing neoadjuvant chemotherapy. Another study demonstrates that digital integrative medicine interventions can reduce emergency department visits, hospitalizations and hospital stays…Nondrug interventions and patient self-care can also improve quality of life without having to add more drugs to a patient’s medication burden.”
Deng is also the associate director of the UCI Health Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and the director of clinical affairs at the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute, part of UCI Health. He holds the Samueli Endowed Chair in Integrative Oncology and is a professor of medicine at the UC Irvine School of Medicine.
He comes from Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where he built a highly regarded integrative medicine program over his two decades there.
He specializes in a whole-person, integrative approach to supporting patients with cancer through all phases of treatment, survivorship and prevention.
About UCI Health
UCI Health, one of California’s largest academic health systems, is the clinical enterprise of the University of California, Irvine. The 1,317-bed system comprises its main campus UCI Medical Center, its flagship hospital in Orange, Calif., the UCI Health — Irvine medical campus, four hospitals and affiliated physicians of the UCI Health Community Network in Orange and Los Angeles counties and a network of ambulatory care centers across the region. UCI Medical Center provides tertiary and quaternary care and is home to the only Orange County-based National Cancer Institute-designated comprehensive cancer center, high-risk perinatal/neonatal program and American College of Surgeons-verified Level I adult and Level II pediatric trauma center, gold level 1 geriatric emergency department and regional burn center. Powered by UC Irvine, UCI Health serves nearly 5.7 million people in Orange County, western Riverside County and southeast Los Angeles County. Follow us on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and X (formerly Twitter).