In June, Orange, Calif.-based UCI Health tapped Gary Deng, MD, PhD, as director of the Integrative Oncology program at the UCI Health Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, in partnership with the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute.
Dr. Deng was also tapped to serve as associate director of the UCI Health Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center and as director of clinical affairs at the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute.
He joined UCI Health from New York City-based Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, where he served as medical director of integrative medicine.
“Dr. Deng will lead our efforts to carry out practice-changing research and develop the most effective complementary and alternative interventions to improve the lives of our patients with cancer,” Richard Van Etten, MD, PhD, director of the Chao Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, said in a June 23 news release from UCI Health.
Dr. Deng shared with Becker’s more insight on what those efforts will look like and how he envisions the future of integrative cancer care.
Editor’s note: Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.
Question: What are your top priorities as you step into your new role at UCI Health?
Dr. Gary Deng: My top priorities are to first, lean into the organizational needs, culture and characteristics of the patient populations served by UCI Health. It’s also important for me to understand available resources and any others that might be needed.
Next, I plan to launch a demonstrational clinical practice that both patients and healthcare professionals would view as a valuable resource at UCI Health.
Lastly, I will collaborate with UCI Health researchers to continue my line of study in integrative health and develop new research projects. Research is the foundation for advancement in the oncology field.
Q: What advice can you give hospital and health system leaders trying to operationalize integrative oncology within existing cancer care delivery models?
GD: It’s important that hospital and health system leaders find the right clinicians who deliver superb clinical services and communicate well with their oncology colleagues. This leads to seamless integration and collaboration across teams throughout an organization.
They should consider the development of business models to sustain services. This can be accomplished with, for example, a tiered payment model based on payers. The incorporation of information technology into these models can also allow leaders to enhance overall efficiency.
The biggest opportunities for growth include the presence of a robust integrative oncology program in a health system with a strong brand that appeals to and draws cancer patients. It also allows a health system to develop a competitive edge if there is a lack of that type of program at a local or regional level.
Finally, integrative oncology enhances a patient’s experience during their cancer journey. Emerging evidence demonstrates that it also improves clinical outcomes, which ultimately benefits the patient and elevates their overall quality of cancer care. This is the mission of all health systems.
Q: What do you tell those who are skeptical of integrative medicine or unsure how to justify its value in a resource-constrained environment?
GD: Because of research conducted over the last several decades, there is now enough evidence that shows that integrative medicine reduces cancer symptoms. Plus, the American Society of Clinical Oncology and the Society for Integrative Oncology have developed clinical practice guidelines and recommendations for using integrative therapies to manage pain, anxiety, depression and fatigue, which are common symptoms among cancer patients.
In addition to symptom management, there are studies that show that integrative medicine can also improve clinical outcomes. 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. Ultimately, integrative oncology can be a net positive service line with tangible and intangible benefits for hospitals and health systems.
Q: What is missing from broader conversations around cancer today?
GD: We have focused heavily on treating cancer itself and have made tremendous progress. This has led to longer survival rates where, now, cancer is a chronic disease.
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.
This is where integrative oncology enters the equation. It has a lot to offer, especially in non-drug interventions and patient self-care, which improves quality of life without having to add more drugs to a patient’s medication burden.
Another aspect that deserves more conversation is the cancer ecosystem. Cancer cells do not live in isolation. They live in an ecosystem where the microenvironment factors at tissue and organ level — nutrients, angiogenesis, immune reaction, inflammation, matrix support, genome stability — and similar factors at an organism level — diet, exercise, stress, sleep and circadian rhythm, social relationships, joys and meaning in life — can influence how they behave. Cancer needs to be treated at an organism, molecular and cellular level.
I am very excited about the prospect that, with more study, we can define and delineate these factors to develop models that enhance whole-person cancer care. Potential implementation of these models can minimize costs while maximizing use in a clinical setting.
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