Patterson Institute for Integrative Cancer Research

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Patterson Institute for Integrative Cancer Research

The Patterson Institute aims to develop a strong evidence base for integrative cancer therapies.

A research institute to foster evidence-informed integrative cancer care through premier research, education and clinical guidance

08/18/2026

World Breast Cancer Research (WBCR) Day was founded by the Susan Love Foundation, just recently in 2021! 🎀

Research is keystone to making advancements in screening, treatment, and improving overall quality of life for those diagnosed with breast cancer.

Why August 18th??
The Susan Love Foundation chose this date to symbolize the 1 in 8 women, and 1 in 833 men diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime.

Did you know? In breast cancer specifically, a survey found that 93% of Canadians believed new treatments should be available within a year, yet from 2016–2024, only five of the 20 most recently approved treatments were funded within six months in Canada.

The reality is that Canada ranks behind other G7 nations in terms of timely access to new breast cancer treatments.

Another reality is that going from a new discovery (often in a preclinical study) to a formal prescription can take several years. It requires sequential lab studies, clinical trials, regulatory review, funding, implementation, and more!

Questions need to be answered, such as, do these results from cell or animal studies translate to humans? What dose gives us what effect? What side effects might occur? Who might this treatment be unsafe for?

At the Patterson Institute, we aim to develop a stronger evidence base for integrative cancer therapies, including those supporting people with breast cancer.

Currently, we are evaluating a free, integrative group support program called “Head Start”, designed for people recently diagnosed with breast cancer. The next session is expected to run in October 2026.

Follow us for more integrative oncology research 💓

06/19/2026

May was Skin Cancer Awareness Month, and even though we’re now into June, the timing couldn’t be better to talk about sun safety.🧴😎

Currently, the Canadian Task Force on Preventive Health Care does not recommend routine skin cancer screening for the general population.1 That said, screening is still important for people at higher risk. You may be at high risk if you have:
☀️a personal or family history of melanoma
☀️many moles
☀️very fair skin
☀️red or blond hair
☀️a history of severe sunburns, or
☀️a history of indoor tanning.2

It’s recommended that high-risk individuals be screened by a dermatologist or primary care provider.

Follow the link in our bio to read more on the ABCDE’s of melanoma, basal cell and squamous cell carcinoma, and tips for sun safety, written by Dr. Anna Bullen, ND. Anna supports research projects and is a licensed ND with a focus on skin health at the Centre for Health Innovation.

05/20/2026

Did you know, the first randomized clinical trial was done on people with scurvy?? 🍋

While James Lind didn’t discover the cure for scurvy, he used an experiment to prove that citrus fruits could cure it, which is considered the world’s first randomized trial.

Today is Clinical Trials Day, a day to reflect, recognize, and admire all that has been accomplished thanks to clinical trials and the people behind them. 🎉

At the Patterson Institute, we routinely conduct clinical trials on integrative therapies for supportive cancer care.

The largest is the Thoracic Peri-Operative Integrative Surgical Care Evaluation (T-POISE) trial.

Check out clinicaltrialsday.org for more information from

04/10/2026

New cases of colorectal cancer (CRC) in younger adults have been rising since the early 2000s. For Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, the theme this year focused on a national call to lower the screening age from 50 to 45 in Canada.

One of our research assistants, Dr. Erica Rizzolo, ND, shared that in March alone, she worked with three new patients who had been diagnosed with CRC in their 30s.

As said in a recent post, colorectal cancer awareness month has ended, but the movement hasn’t.

CRC remains one of the most commonly diagnosed cancers worldwide, but it is also one of the most preventable and treatable when appropriate screening is followed.

With cases rising in younger adults (25-49), and many of those cases being diagnosed at later stages (stage 3, stage 4), there is a strong rationale for lowering the screening age.

Additionally, a 2021 modelling study shows that initiating earlier screening leads to more life-years gained, and reductions in lifetime risk of developing and dying from CRC.

In 2024, Australia lowered the eligible starting age of their National Bowel Cancer Screening Program from 50 to 45 years old. Several organizations in Canada, including the Canadian Cancer Society, Colorectal Cancer Canada and the Colorectal Cancer Resource & Action Network, are advocating for CRC screening at 45.

If you or someone you know has symptoms of CRC, is at high risk, or meets the average risk criteria, talk to your family doctor, nurse practitioner, or request a FIT by contacting Health811 at 811 (for those in Ontario). For those living on a First Nation reserve, contact your health centre or nursing station for more information.

03/03/2026

Two of our team members attended the 2026 Naturopathic Oncology Conference in sunny San Diego last month 🌞

The OncANP conference is always an exciting and informative annual event that NDs and other healthcare providers in integrative oncology look forward to attending.

This year, our team very much appreciated insights from the panel of NDs who shared their own personal experiences with cancer. Their reflections on what they have learned and how their experiences reshaped their own clinical practice was deeply inspiring. While sharing knowledge and research is always of value, there is something uniquely powerful about the kind of storytelling that makes you stop typing and truly listen. We were grateful for their vulnerability, courage, and willingness to transform personal challenge into an opportunity to teach and connect.

Other highlights:
📍Dr. Dan Lander, ND, gave a lecture on the opportunity for naturopathic doctors to optimize overall health and potentially influence disease progression during the “watchful waiting” phase of early-stage blood cancers
📍Dr. Beth Dupree, MD, gave a presentation exploring the vagus nerve: how the parasympathetic nervous system may influence quality of life and treatment outcomes, as well as ways of activating the vagus nerve, such as through slow breathing or meditation

Follow us for more news, information and research on integrative oncology

02/26/2026

The risks of alcohol consumption on health are often underestimated.

A study published in The Lancet in 2018 (PMID: 30146330) is one of the most comprehensive reviews of the global alcohol burden, and has informed today’s guidelines. Swipe to read the highlights 👆

🤔 If you had to guess, how many drinks per week do you think is considered a “moderate risk of harm”? (Poll below)

Follow the link in our bio to read the full blog on risks associated with alcohol consumption, including practical tips for reducing alcohol use, written by our research coordinator, Mark Legacy, CCRP.

02/03/2026

Setting New Year’s resolutions for our health and wellbeing can feel overwhelming, especially while navigating a cancer diagnosis. Research in integrative oncology and habit science has shown us some key principles that may make health goals easier to stick to over time. 💪

In our latest blog, we explore what the science says about forming habits, and what techniques may make it easier for you to stick with your New Year’s resolutions.

Highlights:
- Morning practices 🌞 and habits we choose ourselves 🙋‍♀️ may be easier to adopt
- Some techniques work better than others 📈
- Across different goals, these seem to be more effective:
🌱Goal setting
🌱Problem solving
🌱Action planning
🌱Reviewing goals
🌱Social rewards, and
🌱Positive self-talk

Check out the full blog in our bio for more, including links to free resources from Nova Scotia Health, , , and Apps to support your goals 🤝

01/05/2026

The Patterson Institute’s 2025 wrapped 🎁

11/01/2025

November is lung cancer awareness month 🫁
Take our quiz to test your knowledge about lung cancer. Let us know how you did!

09/23/2025

Are you someone living with or beyond cancer, or a healthcare provider working in oncology?

Help advance cancer research! Researchers want to hear from you regarding care for cancer-related cognitive impairment 💛

Interested? Email Sitara Sharma at: [email protected] or comment 🧠 for a DM with their link

Address

1255 Sheppard Avenue East
Toronto, ON
M2K1E2

Telephone

+14164981255

Website

https://ccnm.edu/research/patterson-institute-integrative-oncology-research, https://ccnm.edu/support-ccnm/patterson-ins

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