Cancer care is evolving beyond surgery, chemotherapy and radiation to embrace a holistic approach that treats the whole person, mind, body and spirit. At Sylvester, lifestyle medicine is at the forefront of this transformation, integrating nutrition, physical activity, stress management and social connection into care plans for patients and survivors.
“With over 22 million cancer survivors expected in the U.S. by 2030, and fewer than 4% meeting national guidelines for diet and physical activity, the need is urgent,” said Tracy Crane, Ph.D., RDN, co-leader of Sylvester’s Cancer Control Program and director of lifestyle medicine, prevention and digital health. “Healthy behaviors are not just preventive, they’re essential for recovery and quality of life.”
Sylvester researchers are leading five key areas of lifestyle medicine innovation:
- Tech Personalization: Digital platforms like My Wellness Research combine lifestyle data with genomics and clinical records to create personalized care plans.
- Prevention for High-Risk Individuals: The Prevention Lifestyle Medicine Clinic offers tailored programs for those with genetic predispositions, such as BRCA or Lynch syndrome, using wearable technology and health coaching.
- Support for Older Survivors: The VITALITY study, a five-year study involving 763 patient-caregiver pairs, compares high-touch and low-touch interventions to improve physical and cognitive health.
- Circadian Alignment: In the FastER clinical trial, researchers are exploring fasting and exercise to reduce fatigue in women with advanced breast cancer.
- Chemotherapy Outcomes: The TEAL study, part of the Exercise and Nutrition Interventions to Improve Cancer Treatment-Related Outcomes (ENICTO) consortium, investigates how diet and exercise improve treatment completion rates for ovarian cancer patients, and it’s also the only trial in the consortium offering services in Spanish.
“Lifestyle medicine empowers patients and caregivers to actively reduce cancer risk and improve outcomes. It’s about integrating human behavior with clinical science to enhance survivorship.”