#1967 Survival of Metastatic Breast Cancer Patients at an Integrative Medicine Care Clinic. KI Block, C Gyellhaal, S Freels, D Tripathy, D Gustin; Block Medical Center, Evanston, IL; University of Illinois, Chicago, IL; University of California at San Francisco, San Francisco, CA. Integrative cancer care uses selected alternative or complementary medicine techniques in a context of conventional care in an effort to improve quality of life and patient survival. For over 2 decades, the Block Integrative Cancer Care (BICC) model has been implemented at a clinic in Evanston, IL. It includes a diet and supplement intervention, exercise, stress reduction and manipulative therapies. This study examines survival of metastatic breast cancer patients who received chemotherapy and the BICC intervention of the clinic. Fifty-six patients were studied who were diagnosed with distant metastases before August 1996 (fifty-fiour averaging 2.5 chemotherapy regimens, and with relapsed disease). Potential prognostic factors (primary tumor size, lymph node status, estrogen receptor status, disease-free interval, age, site of distant metastases, and use of adjuvant chemotherapy) and demographic factors were recorded. Survival after distant recurrence was compared to the National Death Index and other public databases. Overall survival and survival relative to prognostic variables were compared with other studies of metastatic (including some with milder loco-regional metastrases) breast cancer. The BICC group had a somewhat larger number of small primary tumors, a higher rate of treatment with adjuvant chemotherapy, and a younger age (nearly 50% of BICC patients were under 40 at initial diagnosis). Overall median survival of the BICC group was 37 months (95% CI 27-52). Median survivals of comparison studies ranged from 10 to 23 months. Most prognostic variables that predicted survival in comparison studies did not in the BICC group. Survivals grouped by prognostic variables appeared higher for the BICC group than comparison prognostic groups. These data provide a basis for the further study of the relationships of nutritional patterns and integrative care to breast cancer response and survival, especially in younger patients. Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.