This November, the Society for Integrative Oncology (SIO) will host its first international conference in New York City. The three-day conference, held in collaboration with more than a dozen cancer-related associations and institutes, is designed to bring together health care professionals interested in studying and integrating effective complementary therapies in cancer care, and will include a satellite symposium that focuses on the use of acupuncture in oncology practice and research.
The conference begins on Wednesday, Nov. 17, at the Marriot Marquis Times Square. Barrie Cassileth, PhD, chief of the Integrative Medicine Service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, will chair the conference. Among the topics to be discussed are advances in integrative oncology; complementary therapies for the treatment of physical and emotional symptoms in cancer patients; the use of botanicals and herbal remedies in treating cancer; and treatments for breast, prostate, gastrointestinal and lung cancer. Several plenary sessions, poster presentations and panel discussions are scheduled to occur throughout the conference.
On Friday, Nov. 19, the meeting will feature a satellite symposium titled "Acupuncture in Oncology Practice and Research." Helene Langevin, MD, LAc, a research assistant professor of neurology at the University of Vermont College of Medicine, will deliver the keynote address, and discuss the scientific understanding of the mechanisms by which acupuncture works. Four educational sessions will be held at the symposium:
- "Acupuncture in Cancer Care," hosted by Lixing Lao, PhD, LAc, and Peter Johnstone, MD;
- "How to Conduct Acupuncture Research in Oncology," presented by Andrew Vickers, PhD;
- "Acupuncture in the Management of Cancer-Related Symptoms," by Michelle Kohn, MBBS, BSc, MRCP, and Joannie Shen, MD, MPH, PhD; and
- "Acupuncture in Oncology: Future Considerations," moderated by Dr. Kohn, and featuring a panel of the symposium's speakers.
In addition to the satellite symposium on acupuncture, the SIO conference will also feature symposia on music therapy, medical massage, and the development of integrative/complementary medicine programs.
Continuing education credits will be offered for attendees by the American Cancer Society. To register for the conference, or for more information, visit www.integrativeonc.com.
