How integrative health approaches such as acupuncture and nutrition support quality of life and improve cancer outcomes

Gary Deng, MD, program director of integrative oncology at UCI Health and Samueli Endowed Chair in Integrative Oncology and the director of clinical affairs at the Susan Samueli Integrative Health Institute, discusses his vision for building a whole-person model of cancer care at UCI Health.Drawing on more than two decades of experience at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and earlier work at MD Anderson Cancer Center, Deng explains how integrative oncology has evolved from a niche, often misunderstood field into an increasingly evidence-based component of modern cancer care. He describes how approaches such as acupuncture, nutrition, exercise, stress management, and lifestyle change can help address symptoms, support quality of life and give patients a greater sense of agency during treatment.The conversation also explores the science behind integrative oncology, including randomized controlled trials, neuroimaging, National Cancer Institute-funded research, and emerging data suggesting that interventions once viewed as supportive may also affect treatment response and clinical outcomes. Deng outlines his long-term goal of establishing a model at UCI Health that integrates mind, body, and lifestyle into standard oncology care and generating the evidence to help disseminate that model more broadly.Topics discussed: Building the UCI Health integrative oncology programWhy whole-person care matters in cancer treatmentTreating symptoms, quality of life, and patient experience alongside the diseaseThe evolution of acupuncture from skepticism to guideline-supported careNational Cancer Institute-funded research in acupuncture and sepsisFunctional MRI and neurobiological mechanisms behind acupunctureLifestyle medicine in oncology, including diet, exercise, stress and sleepEmerging research on lifestyle change and treatment responseCircadian rhythm, social environment, and cancer outcomesThe opportunity to build a new integrative oncology care model at UCI HealthConnect with UCI Health physicians online at clinicalconnection.ucihealth.org, on LinkedIn @UCI Health Physicians, on Instagram @ucihealthphysicians, or at @uciphysicians on X. Refer a patient at referralportal.ucihealth.org and learn more about ongoing clinical trials at ucihealth.org/clinical-trials.