Cancer is the second leading cause of death worldwide. Genes are blamed for cancer
development and play an integral part as a risk factor for the evolution of cancer from a
benign lesion to a malignant one. However, environmental factors affect the
epigenetics of those genes and can meddle in the outcome of the disease. The role
of functional medicine is to identify the relationship between genetic predisposition,
environmental risk factors, and disease development to treat the root cause of the disease, aiming at cancer prevention or prevention of its recurrence after initial
treatment. Conventional cancer treatments are crucial to controlling cancer, but
they also have to be tailored for each patient where no chemotherapy fits all, even
if they have the same diagnosis. That’s when integrative oncology comes to help
the patient choose what’s best for his healthcare while ameliorating the side effects
of conventional treatment and augmenting its effect at the same time.
Key Clinical Takeaways
• Clinical features of cancer according to the primary site.
• Staging & grading.
• Conventional treatment modalities in cancer.
• Integrative/functional oncology.
• Basic & advanced functional medicine tests.
• Addressing the epigenetics.
• Crucial lifestyle modifications.
