Bastyr University of Kenmore is the recent recipient, along with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, of a $3.1 million grant for the study of complementary and integrative care for breast cancer. The grant, awarded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), will officially fund a project titled “Breast Cancer Integrative Oncology: Prospective Matched Controlled Outcomes Study.”

The five-year award will allow clinical investigators in the Bastyr University Research Institute and the Hutchinson Center to undertake a rigorous outcomes-based research study. The investigators will track clinical outcomes for participants with breast cancer who, in addition to standard conventional care, receive integrative care at the Bastyr Integrative Oncology Research Center (BIORC). Those outcomes will then be compared with outcomes for participants with breast cancer who do not receive integrative care along with conventional care.

“This NIH-funded grant and our research partnership with Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center will enable us to conduct groundbreaking research that will ultimately impact the future of cancer care on a global level,” said Leanna Standish, BIORC medical director.

The BIORC, which opened in February 2009 on Bastyr University’s campus, was founded to improve the quality of life of individuals living with cancer, reduce the risk of cancer recurrence and track the effectiveness of complementary, alternative and integrative therapies in treating the disease. The founding of BIORC was made possible through a generous donation from Budge Brown and Lorraine Masterson of Cleavage Creek Cellars.