Overview

In the United States, one in eight women, and a steadily rising number of men, will confront a breast cancer diagnosis during their lifetime. Fortunately, the majority of people diagnosed with breast cancer survive. Yet survival isn’t the only concern. A diagnosis of breast cancer brings with it a long road of treatment decisions, side‑effect management, and the work of reclaiming a life. 

This course presents an integrative approach to breast cancer, equipping practitioners and other healthcare professionals with clinical tools and evidence to guide patients through the phases of breast cancer management and recovery. Each module distills the latest research on integrative approaches to breast cancer—nutrition, movement, mind/body practices, restorative sleep, dietary supplements, and social connection—and shows how to adjunctively utilize them with standard medical care.

The focus is practical: Which dietary patterns best support treatment tolerance? How can we develop approachable movement plans during treatment and recovery? Which integrative strategies should be prioritized for reducing the risk of breast cancer?

By the end of this breast cancer course, clinicians will be able to:

• Recognize modifiable risk factors for breast cancer.
• Identify integrative strategies that support patients alongside surgery, radiation, chemotherapy, and hormonal therapy.
• Recommend evidence‑informed lifestyle interventions during treatment and survivorship.
• Address common concerns, from fatigue and bone loss to cognitive fog, with actionable, whole‑person care plans.

Featuring self-paced modules, this integrative approach to breast cancer equips oncologists, clinicians, and other healthcare professionals to treat not just the disease, but the person living with it.

 Practitioners trained in an integrative medicine model have the potential to improve outcomes, encourage optimism and resilience, and teach innovative, effective approaches to self-care in their patients.

Learning Objectives

Breast Cancer Risk Reduction
Participants will be able to:

• Identify modifiable risk factors for breast cancer .
• Integrate breast cancer risk reduction strategies into patient management.
• Apply strategies to help patients address modifiable risk factors, including stress, alcohol intake, physical activity, sleep, environmental pollution and obesity.
• Evaluate the influence of adverse childhood experiences on breast cancer risk.
• Inform patients of the role of dietary patterns and nutrition in breast cancer risk reduction..
• Recognize women at high risk for breast cancer in the clinical setting.
• Integrate wearable trackers in lifestyle-based risk reduction.
• Apply evidence-based integrative approaches to breast cancer risk reduction in a case-based learning format.

Breast Cancer Treatment
Participants will be able to:

• Utilize biopsy findings in a comprehensive approach to integrative breast cancer management.
• Include surgical options for breast cancer treatment and reconstruction in patient management.
• Engage in patient-centric dialogue and decision-making from a benefits:risk perspective regarding breast surgery.
• Assess methods used to optimize surgical outcomes, improve patient experience, and reduce the risk of surgical complications.
• Apply knowledge of classes of drug therapies and radiation therapy for breast cancer treatment, their associated adverse effects, and evidence-based approaches to prevent or minimize these effects.
• Evaluate commonly used mind-body medicine approaches in the clinical support of women during breast cancer treatment.
• Apply an evidence-based approach to clinical recommendations in nutrition, exercise, mind-body approaches, whole systems approaches, and dietary supplements which have been shown to improve the efficacy and/or mitigate adverse side effects of breast cancer chemotherapy.
• Discuss the clinical evidence for integrative strategies which mitigate adverse side effects of breast cancer radiation therapy.
• Recognize common toxicities associated with targeted drug and endocrine treatment of breast cancer and apply integrative strategies to address these toxicities.
• Apply evidence-based integrative medicine strategies to breast cancer using case-based learning that addresses a variety of diagnostic and treatment scenarios.

Breast Cancer Survivorship
Participants will be able to:

• Discuss guidelines for post-treatment surveillance.
• Gain familiarity with monitoring breast cancer patients for treatment-related effects and signs of recurrence post-treatment.
• Counsel patients about modifiable risk factors for breast cancer recurrence and strategies to address these risks.
• Discuss integrative medicine strategies, inclusive of diet, physical activity, stress management, and dietary supplementation, to address modifiable risk factors for breast cancer recurrence.
• Demonstrate approaches to prevent or reduce symptoms of physical weakness, functional impairment, lymphedema, and cognitive and nerve damage caused by surgery and radiation therapy for breast cancer.
• Utilize evidence-based evidence-based integrative approaches to manage hot flashes, osteoporosis, and sexual function in association with long-term endocrine therapy for breast cancer.
• Utilize evidence-based integrative medicine approaches to mental health after breast cancer treatment, including depression, anxiety, insomnia, and fatigue.
• Apply evidence-based integrative medicine strategies in case-based learning format to address the complex needs of breast cancer survivors.

Curriculum

Course Modules

RISK REDUCTION
Reducing the Risk of Breast Cancer: An Integrative Approach

TREATMENT
Treatment Options
Reducing Adverse Effects of Drug Therapy
Reducing Adverse Effects of Radiation Therapy

SURVIVORSHIP
Monitoring and Decreasing Recurrence Risk
Physical Rehabilitation in Breast Cancer Survivors
Endocrine Considerations
Mental Health and Breast Cancer

EVALUATION & EXAM
Breast Cancer Evaluation
Breast Cancer Exam

Completion Requirements

Complete all the coursework, course evaluation, and the final test with a score of 70% or better. You are allowed unlimited re-attempts. Upon successful completion, you will be able to print your certificate of completion.

Target Audience

Physicians, physician assistants, and other health practitioners who have an interest in integrative medicine.

Certificate

When all of the above requirements are met (during the agreed-upon timeline), a link for the completion certificate is available to download and print anytime from "My Account." If a specific credit type was selected at registration, your certificate will indicate earned credits.

Disclaimer

This course does not constitute medical advice. Healthcare providers should exercise their own independent medical judgment.

All case studies and patient scenarios in this course are used for illustrative purposes. All depictions of persons (other than faculty) are models and not actual patients.