Download Cancer Prevention and Integrative Oncology

Investment Opportunity:
Cancer Prevention and Integrative Oncology
This year alone, nearly 1.7 million Americans will hear the dreaded words, “You have
cancer.” Roughly 600,000 will die from it. Approximately half of those deaths could be
prevented, however, if people made healthy lifestyle choices. The James M. Cox
Foundation Center for Cancer Prevention and Integrative Oncology at Banner MD
Anderson Cancer Center is devoted to educating individuals about cancer prevention
while providing invaluable integrative therapies to cancer patients and survivors.
The Power of Prevention
Not smoking, eating right, maintaining a
healthy weight, staying active and getting
recommended screening tests have proved
effective in reducing a person’s risk of
developing cancer. Despite the known value
of these prevention strategies, about 42
million Americans smoke, 35 percent of
Americans are obese and the use of
screening tests nationwide falls below
recommended targets. As a result, cancer is
expected to overtake heart disease as the
leading cause of death in the United States
within the next 15 years.
Through the Cox Center, physicians and staff
are working to combat cancer by spreading
the message that cancer is preventable and
educating people of all ages about steps
they can take to avoid hearing the words,
“You have cancer.”
Among the Cox Center’s many cancer
prevention programs are those centered on
smoking cessation, good nutrition, exercise,
weight management and cancer screening.
Programs are held at schools, health fairs,
town halls, conferences, open houses and
retirement centers.
Prevention education is also delivered
through a monthly newsletter mailed to more
than 100,000 homes across the Valley. For
those at high risk of developing cancer, oneon-one prevention consultations and, in some
cases, genetic counseling can provide a
better understanding of the risks and
appropriate preventive measures.
An Integrative Approach to Care and
Coping
Research suggests that 60 to 90 percent of
cancer patients incorporate some form of
complementary or alternative
therapy in their cancer
treatment. Only a few of the
Tobacco use is the
nation’s cancer centers,
No. 1 preventable
however, provide truly
integrative programs in which
cause of death,
oncologists and these other
accounting for at
providers collaborate to
least 30 percent of
serve patients.
The Cox Center provides
integrative health
consultations and therapeutic
services to help cancer
patients and survivors
minimize both the short- and
long-term side effects of
treatment. Cancer care
experts and other providers
work together to develop
individualized treatment
plans that blend conventional
medicine with scientifically
supported and safe
all cancer deaths.
Despite the risks,
about 42 million
Americans are
smokers.
By 2030, cancer is
expected to overtake
heart disease as the
No. 1 cause of death
in the United States.
integrative therapies. Music therapy,
massage therapy, aromatherapy, pet
therapy, spiritual care and more help ensure
we treat the whole person—mind, body and
spirit.
The integrative oncology team at the Cox
Center, which includes an oncologist,
registered dietician, exercise physiologist
and social worker, meets with patients to
discuss quality-of-life issues experienced
along the cancer journey. They address a
multitude of topics ranging from nutrition,
exercise, depression and stress management,
to family and caregiver support, pain and
fatigue.
The cancer center offers yoga, tai chi,
acupuncture, meditation, physical
rehabilitation, counseling and support groups
for both patients and caregivers. These are
among the many programs provided under
the supervision of oncology professionals to
ensure a truly integrative cancer care
experience.
Banner MD Anderson is further distinguished
by a robust survivorship program that
leverages individualized care plans to help
patients cope with the lasting social, physical,
spiritual, economic and psychological
consequences of conquering cancer.
Meeting the Need
A generous $5 million gift from the James M.
Cox Foundation supported the start-up of the
Cox Center. However, additional
philanthropic support is needed to sustain
and expand its service offerings to meet
growing cancer prevention and treatment
needs.
Since opening in April 2014, the Cox Center
has expanded to include a tobacco cessation
program, a physical-rehabilitation gym, a
breast cancer survivorship clinic and a
prostate cancer support group. Also offered
are classes on yoga, mindfulness and guided
meditation, writing for wellness and nutrition
during cancer. Additional services such as
massage and aromatherapy treatments,
music and expressive-arts classes, and
additional community outreach programs are
on the horizon.
The more cancer patients and community
members who are served by the Cox
Center’s multitude of prevention programs
and integrative oncology services, the more
lives that can be spared from the threat of
cancer and the more patients healed, in both
body and mind.
Your philanthropic support will ensure the
continued development of the Cox Center
and help make cancer history.