The Office of Complementary and Alternative Medicine (OCCAM) is the office of the National Cancer Institute (NCI) in the Division of Cancer and Diagnosis Treatment. OCCAM was founded in 1998 and is responsible for the NCI research agenda in complementary and alternative medicine (CAM), which deals with cancer prevention, diagnosis, treatment, and symptom management. OCCAM differs from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) as it exclusively focuses on cancer, while NCCAM is funding a much broader program of NIH research into CAM treatment for all diseases and disorders.
As part of the Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis Division, OCCAM tries to identify loopholes in CAM cancer research and fund scientists interested in researching this subject. OCCAM's stated mission is to improve the quality of care of cancer patients, as well as those at risk for cancer and those who recover from cancer care. It aims to achieve this by helping to advance evidence-based medicine in CAM practice and high quality CAM research. OCCAM also tries to provide reliable information about the possible risks and benefits of alternative treatments for the health care community, scientists and the general public.
Video Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Organization
OCCAM is organized into three main programs: Research Development and Support Program, Practice Assessment Program (PAP) and Communication and Reach Program.
- Research Development and Support analyzes CAM research portfolio, to assist with funding and policy decisions. It also advises researchers on how to prepare grant applications based on reviews of the review committee.
- The purpose of the Practice Assessment Program is to improve the quality of care of cancer patients with careful scientific evaluation of CAM cancer interventions. The PAP also reviewed case summary data from patients on CAM therapy for cancer treatment through the NCI Best Case Series Program. The program seeks to identify successful application of CAM therapies with anti-cancer effects.
- The Communication and Reach Program aims to acquire and develop high quality information on cancer and CAM for NCI and for dissemination to health care communities, researchers, patients, and the general public.
Maps Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine
Research
OCCAM coordinates CAM NCI research activities and tries to assist CAM research growth within the NCI, by increasing the capacity of relevant programs to support the research and remain integrated with other research in related fields (eg Nutrition, natural products, and behavioral sciences). The 2005 report in the Journal of Clinical Oncology analyzes OCCAM's research portfolio and grant applications it receives and identifies serious challenges in the design and performance of research into CAM therapeutic cancer: in particular the lack of product standards or protocols for CAM therapy and the inherent difficulty in studying products without modes known actions.
See also
- National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine
References
External links
- Office of Complementary and Alternative Cancer Treatment
- Cancer Treatment and Diagnosis Division
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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