A Delphi study on the multimodal therapeutic approach to breast cancer; what we know and what we can learn.

Abstract

Background & Aims: Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in over 140 countries and it is also the major cause of death of women if we include the so-called “least-developed” countries. If, in the view of Evidence-based Medicine (EBM), data regarding the treatment deemed as the most effective is widely available (although still subject to improvement, updating or disagreement), results regarding research input conducted on patients from the person-centered medical perspective are still lacking (where knowing how to give the same importance in all stages and all the actors of the disease is fundamental). In consideration of this lack of attention regarding the centrality of the patient in the therapeutic path, the aim of this study was to understand the considerations that underlie the management of breast cancer between the members of a non-profit organization designed to promote the humanization of medicine by means of sustainable treatments and therapy and to infer how these findings can be implemented.

Methods: We conducted a Delphi survey among the members of the Charity Association for Person Centered Medicine-Moral Entity. Participants completed an open-ended questionnaire to answer various questions on female breast cancer with a specific focus on Traditional, Complementary and Alternative Medicine (TCAM) issues.

Results and Discussion: The attribution of meaning to the concept of “Embodiment” itself both in relation to culture, environment, lifestyle and psychological sphere as well as the attribution of meaning to the concept of care and its practical implications was heterogeneous. It is extremely significant that all the sample responded that a multimodal and multidisciplinary approach that includes not only the biomedical approach is more effective.

Conclusion: The urgency for the implementation of a multi-modal and multi-factorial method in breast cancer therapies is the most crucial conclusion, the starting point to rethinking a medical practice which is centered on the patient.