TY - JOUR
T1 - Integrative oncology in clinical practice, research, and education
T2 - Middle-Eastern and global perspectives
AU - Ben-Arye, Eran
AU - von Schoen-Angerer, Tido
AU - Rassouli, Maryam
AU - Can, Gülbeyaz
AU - Hablas, Mohamed
AU - Omran, Suha
AU - Stylianou, Konstantina
AU - Hajji, Malak Rita
AU - Nijhawan, Neil Arun
AU - Ghrayeb, Ibtisam
AU - Gafer, Nahla
AU - Seifert, Georg
AU - Liu, Jianping
AU - Toledano, Alain
AU - Bonucci, Massimo
AU - Ghelman, Ricardo
AU - Fuller-Shavel, Nina
AU - Puthiyedath, Rammanohar
AU - Samuels, Noah
AU - Cohen, Lorenzo
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© The Author(s) 2026.
PY - 2026/5
Y1 - 2026/5
N2 - This study aimed to explore integrative oncology (IO) across the Middle East, examine how international IO leaders promote IO in the Middle East, and assess how the Middle East contributes to the development of IO globally. This narrative review employed a structured literature search and descriptive analytic approach, using multiple databases, predefined keywords, varied study designs, and multilingual sources. It was conducted by a multi-disciplinary team of clinicians, researchers, and medical educators from ten Middle Eastern countries (Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Palestine, Sudan, Turkey, and United Arab Emirates) and global IO/palliative leaders from South America, India, China, Europe, and the USA, providing a real-life implementation perspective. The collaborative IO model of care ensures safe and effective traditional and herbal medicine practices, with a culturally-sensitive approach respecting health beliefs. Middle Eastern and international IO participants discuss how they can benefit from each other, drawing from Middle-East Research Group in Integrative Oncology (MERGIO) activities in clinical practice, research, and medical education. Important themes derived from the review include the potential for IO to advance patient-centered care, effectively improve quality of life-related concerns, ensure a safe therapeutic environment, and overcome accessibility- and disparity-related barriers. IO treatments should be provided by trained multi-disciplinary teams of integrative physicians and practitioners, within culturally-adapted multi-modal programs and a receptive national and regional healthcare policy. Research utilizing pragmatic methodologies reflects real-world IO practice, with IO prioritized in medical education providing students and healthcare professionals with high-quality clinical and research training across the Middle East.
AB - This study aimed to explore integrative oncology (IO) across the Middle East, examine how international IO leaders promote IO in the Middle East, and assess how the Middle East contributes to the development of IO globally. This narrative review employed a structured literature search and descriptive analytic approach, using multiple databases, predefined keywords, varied study designs, and multilingual sources. It was conducted by a multi-disciplinary team of clinicians, researchers, and medical educators from ten Middle Eastern countries (Cyprus, Egypt, Iran, Israel, Jordan, Morocco, Palestine, Sudan, Turkey, and United Arab Emirates) and global IO/palliative leaders from South America, India, China, Europe, and the USA, providing a real-life implementation perspective. The collaborative IO model of care ensures safe and effective traditional and herbal medicine practices, with a culturally-sensitive approach respecting health beliefs. Middle Eastern and international IO participants discuss how they can benefit from each other, drawing from Middle-East Research Group in Integrative Oncology (MERGIO) activities in clinical practice, research, and medical education. Important themes derived from the review include the potential for IO to advance patient-centered care, effectively improve quality of life-related concerns, ensure a safe therapeutic environment, and overcome accessibility- and disparity-related barriers. IO treatments should be provided by trained multi-disciplinary teams of integrative physicians and practitioners, within culturally-adapted multi-modal programs and a receptive national and regional healthcare policy. Research utilizing pragmatic methodologies reflects real-world IO practice, with IO prioritized in medical education providing students and healthcare professionals with high-quality clinical and research training across the Middle East.
KW - Integrative oncology
KW - Middle-East
KW - Palliative care
KW - Supportive cancer care
KW - Traditional Arab Islamic medicine
KW - Traditional medicine
UR - https://www.scopus.com/pages/publications/105036698311
U2 - 10.1007/s00520-026-10647-5
DO - 10.1007/s00520-026-10647-5
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C2 - 42018262
AN - SCOPUS:105036698311
SN - 0941-4355
VL - 34
JO - Supportive Care in Cancer
JF - Supportive Care in Cancer
IS - 5
M1 - 453
ER -