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The Bastyr Integrative Oncology Research Center (BIORC) is an outpatient treatment center delivering naturopathic and traditional Chinese medicine treatments to research participants at all stages of cancer treatment and recovery. The center is part of the Bastyr University Research Institute and includes researchers from Bastyr as well as collaborators from the University of Washington, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, and the Seattle Cancer Care Alliance. The center is located on Bastyr University's campus in Kenmore, Washington.

Treatment
Established in February 2009, BIORC provides research participants (who may be at any stage in their cancer treatment and recovery) with naturopathic and acupuncture and traditional Chinese medicine treatments, mind-body therapies and nutritional guidance. Participants receive support for each stage of their experience, from diagnosis to treatment decisions and restoration of immune function after completion of standard treatments.

The center’s practitioners include licensed naturopathic physicians who are board-certified in naturopathic oncology and acupuncturists with specific training in pain management and oncology. Practitioners communicate with each participant's medical providers and oncologists to ensure integrated care.

Breast Cancer Outcomes Study
This study by researchers at BIORC and Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center evaluates the rates of disease-free survival and quality-of-life indicators in breast cancer participants treated at integrative oncology clinics such as BIORC. Those patients are "matched" with other breast cancer patients living in the state of Washington who do not receive complementary, alternative or integrative therapies under the supervision of a naturopathic doctor. Their outcomes are then tracked and compared over a five-year period. The study is funded by a $3.1 million grant awarded in 2010 from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), part of the National Institutes of Health.

The goal of the study is to gather enough data to either demonstrate the effectiveness of an integrative approach to care for reducing cancer recurrence and improving overall quality of life in cancer sufferers, or to show that such an approach has no net positive effects. Researchers also hope to gain insights into how cancer care management and treatment programs might be improved.

Leadership
The center’s medical director is Leanna J. Standish, PhD, ND, MS, LAc, FABNO, a research professor at Bastyr University. Standish is also a clinical professor at the University of Washington School of Public Health and an affiliate research professor in the UW School of Medicine radiology department.

Funding
The center's breast cancer outcomes study is funded by a $3.1 million grant for the study of complementary and integrative care for breast cancer awarded in 2010 from the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM), part of the National Institutes of Health.

BIORC was founded through a grant from Budge Brown and Lorraine Masterson, founders of Cleavage Creek Cellars. Brown established the winery to support breast cancer research in memory of his wife of 48 years, Arlene Brown.