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Osteopathy as a complementary/alternative medicine for breast cancer: a Canadian case study and comprehensive review

Justine Fortin

Anaïs Beaupré

Lunie Anne Thamar Louis

Carol-Anne Roy

Michaela Ann Bourque

Sarah Cappeliez

Asma Fadhlaoui

Justine Fortin

*Author for correspondence:

E-mail Address: justine.fortin@umontreal.ca

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7536-7363

Department of Psychology, Université du Québec à Montréal, 100 rue Sherbrooke Ouest, H2X 3P2, Montréal (QC), Canada

ENOSI, Professional School of Osteopathy, 6830 Parc Av., H3N 1W7, Montréal (QC), Canada

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Anaïs Beaupré

ENOSI, Professional School of Osteopathy, 6830 Parc Av., H3N 1W7, Montréal (QC), Canada

Department of Health Sciences Research, Université Sherbrooke, J1K 0A5, Sherbrooke (QC), Canada

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Lunie Anne Thamar Louis

Deparment of Psychology, Université de Montréal, 90 Vincent D'Indy, H2V 2S9, Montréal (QC), Canada

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Carol-Anne Roy

Department of Psychology, Université du Québec en Outaouais, 283 Bd Alexandre-Taché, J8X 3X7, Gatineau (QC), Canada

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Michaela Ann Bourque

https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1926-0975

Department of Psychiatry, McGill University, 845 Rue Sherbrooke O, H3A 0G4, Montréal (QC), Canada

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Sarah Cappeliez

No Department or Institution, Patient-partner, Montréal (QC), Canada

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Asma Fadhlaoui

Faculty of Nursing, Université de Montréal, 2900 Bd Edouard-Montpetit, H3T 1J4, Montréal (QC), Canada

Research Center of the Hôpital Maisonneuve-Rosemont, 5415 Bd de l'Assomption, H1T 2M4, Montréal (QC), Canada

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Published Online:20 Apr 2022https://doi.org/10.2217/bmt-2022-0002

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Abstract

Aim: In Canada, osteopathic medicine, a well-known branch of complementary/alternative medicine, has received minimal attention for pain management within oncology. Purpose: This review reports both the existing literature and patient experience surrounding the application of osteopathy as an effective treatment for pain in breast cancer patients. Results: Both the literature and this case study support, to some degree, the benefits of osteopathy as pain management for breast cancer patients. Conclusion: Due to contradictory reported findings, more studies would be required to make firm conclusions, especially within a Canadian context. However, a lack of standardization of osteopathic procedures and collaboration between osteopaths and traditional healthcare professionals are challenges in including osteopathy as a standard service offered to breast cancer patients.

Keywords:

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Vol. 11, No. 02

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History

Received 27 January 2022

Accepted 6 April 2022

Published online 20 April 2022

Published in print June 2022

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Keywords

Author contributions

J Fortin: Conceptualization, project administration, methodology, validation, investigation, formal analysis, writing – original draft, supervision; A Beaupré: Validation, formal analysis, writing – original draft preparation; LA Thamar Louis & C-A Roy: Visualization, investigation, writing – original draft; MA Bourque: Validation, writing – reviewing and editing; S Cappeliez: Validation, formal analysis, writing – reviewing and editing; A Fadhlaoui: Resources, formal analysis, validation, writing – reviewing and editing.

Acknowledgments

J Fortin thanks the Fonds de Recherche en Santé du Québec for her scholarship award.

Financial & competing interests disclosure

The authors have no relevant affiliations or financial involvement with any organization or entity with a financial interest in or financial conflict with the subject matter or materials discussed in the manuscript. This includes employment, consultancies, honoraria, stock ownership or options, expert testimony, grants or patents received or pending, or royalties.

No writing assistance was utilized in the production of this manuscript.

Ethical conduct of research

The authors state that they have followed the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki for all human or animal experimental investigations. In addition, for investigations involving human subjects, informed consent has been obtained from the participants involved.

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