Breast Cancer: An Integrative Approach (2025-2027)

Wednesday, October 1, 2025, 12:00 AM - Thursday, September 30, 2027, 11:59 PM


AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™ (12.50 hours), Non-Physician Attendance (12.50 hours)

One out of every eight women in the US will be diagnosed with breast cancer during their lifetime, a number that has been increasing steadily over the past decade. The prevalence of breast cancer in men is also on the rise. Given the number of breast cancer diagnoses, practitioners must be equipped with up-to-date, comprehensive information about prevention, treatment, and survivorship. Breast cancer treatment is complex and demanding. It is important that busy providers have the tools they can incorporate into conventional cancer treatment — integrative interventions that new research shows can impact not only quality of life but also cancer-specific outcomes. These powerful integrative adjuvants include stress management, exercise, sleep, and diet. 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. Information in this course will help practitioners better serve patients with breast cancer in all stages of treatment.

1. Identify modifiable risk factors for breast cancer
2. Integrate breast cancer risk reduction strategies into patient management.
3. Apply strategies to help patients address modifiable risk factors, including stress, alcohol intake, physical activity, sleep, environmental pollution and obesity.
4. Evaluate the influence of adverse childhood experiences on breast cancer risk.
5. Inform patients of the role of dietary patterns and nutrition in breast cancer risk reduction.
6. Recognize women at high risk for breast cancer in the clinical setting.
7. Integrate wearable trackers in lifestyle-based risk reduction.
8. Apply evidence-based integrative approaches to breast cancer risk reduction in a case-based learning format.
9. Utilize biopsy findings in a comprehensive approach to integrative breast cancer management.
10. Include surgical options for breast cancer treatment and reconstruction in patient management.
11. Engage in patient-centric dialogue and decision-making from a benefits:risk perspective regarding breast surgery.
12. Assess methods used to optimize surgical outcomes, improve patient experience, and reduce the risk of surgical complications.
13. 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.
14. Evaluate commonly used mind-body medicine approaches in the clinical support of women during breast cancer treatment.
15. 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.
16. Discuss the clinical evidence for integrative strategies which mitigate adverse side effects of breast cancer radiation therapy.
17. Recognize common toxicities associated with targeted drug and endocrine treatment of breast cancer and apply integrative strategies to address these toxicities.
18. Apply evidence-based integrative medicine strategies to breast cancer using case-based learning that addresses a variety of diagnostic and treatment scenarios.
19. Discuss guidelines for post-treatment surveillance.
20. Gain familiarity with monitoring breast cancer patients for treatment-related effects and signs of recurrence post-treatment.

The University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson designates this Enduring Material for a maximum of 12.50 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

Accessibility Statement
 
University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson Office of Continuing Medical Education is committed to ensuring that its programs, services, goods and facilities are accessible to individuals with disabilities as specified under Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973 and the Americans with Disabilities Amendments Act of 2008.  If you have needs that require special accommodations, including dietary concerns, please contact the CME activity coordinator.

Mitigation of Relevant Financial Relationships

University of Arizona College of Medicine - Tucson Office of Continuing Medical Education adheres to the ACCME's Standards for Integrity and Independence in Accredited Continuing Education. Any individuals in a position to control the content of a CME activity, including faculty, planners, reviewers or others are required to disclose all financial relationships with ineligible entities (commercial interests). The CME office reviewers have nothing to disclose. All relevant financial relationships have been mitigated prior to the commencement of the activity.