Cancer Care Reimagined: Treatment Innovations That Protect Patients and the Planet

By Beth Rush

The landscape of cancer care is evolving, with innovations improving treatment outcomes and paving the way for a more sustainable health care system. The sector’s significant carbon footprint underscores the need to continually integrate sustainable, eco-friendly practices.

Advancements in cancer treatment modalities highlight the dual responsibility of administrators and stakeholders to enhance patient health while protecting the planet. Everyone can make a difference by working with others to create a future where healing and sustainability go hand in hand.

The New Frontier of Oncology

Modern cancer care faces a dual responsibility — to deliver lifesaving treatments and minimize the health care industry’s significant environmental footprint. As oncology care advances, it’s imperative to recognize that every aspect of it contributes to carbon emissions. Take the production and disposal of medical equipment, treatment facility energy consumption, and patient transportation as examples. These all add to the health care sector’s carbon cost.

With it accounting for 4.4% to 5.2% of global greenhouse gas emissions as recently as 2023, the urgency of sustainable practices in oncology and other medical disciplines has never been greater. By embracing innovative, eco-friendly approaches, you and every other hospital patient or stakeholder can ensure the fight against cancer also protects the planet for future generations.

Sustainable Hospital Innovations

If you visit an oncology department at your local hospital, are you immediately aware of the innovative green solutions it’s implementing alongside existing patient care? Perhaps not. Eco-friendly change is underway, but public promotion is an area where medical facilities can step up to encourage patient input and further sustainability across cancer care and other departments.

1.  Holistic Support Systems

A cancer diagnosis is life-altering for the patient and those nearest and dearest to them. As a survivor, you may deal with the news and prognosis very differently from someone who receives the information for the first time. The type of support you require may not benefit another survivor, so holistic systems within oncology units can make all the difference to patients and their loved ones.

Implementing these integrated care models reduces overall patient burden and promotes sustainability by reducing the need to commute between centers.  These models often include:

• Access to therapists or support groups to help cancer patients process their emotions and cope with the stress a diagnosis or prognosis brings.
• Dietary advice designed to meet individual needs to enhance treatment efficacy and overall well-being.
• Treatment option advice, appointment scheduling, and logistics management to enable their focus on healing.

Incorporating holistic support systems within a single oncology environment incorporates sustainability and extends it beyond environmental practices to encompass the well-being of every cancer survivor.

2. Tele-Oncology

Tele-oncology is revolutionizing cancer care, with virtual consultations and remote monitoring saving patients money on transportation and reducing their carbon footprint. Around 25% of Americans living rurally can consult with an oncologist from the comfort of their homes, eliminating frequent, time-consuming, and costly trips to a hospital for required regular checkups.

Besides reducing emissions, tele-oncology addresses environmental factors, such as oncology centers’ energy consumption. Reduced in-person visits mean hospitals can lower their overall power use, contributing to a more sustainable health care system.

Virtual consultations help in decreasing the stress often associated with physical visits. Patients can engage in remote discussions about treatment plans and follow-up care, with oncologists monitoring their health without the anxiety of navigating traffic or waiting in a crowded hospital department.

This streamlined approach fosters a more relaxed environment, which is invaluable for cancer survivors focusing on their recovery. Tele-oncology exemplifies how technological innovations offer cancer patients protection while encouraging environmental responsibility.

3. Smarter and Greener Pharmaceuticals

The pharmaceutical industry is moving toward sustainability through the development of innovative, greener therapies that improve cancer patient outcomes and reduce environmental impact. Some key advancements include:

• Targeted therapies: These innovative treatments specifically target cancer cells with higher efficacy and fewer side effects. By reducing adverse reactions, patients could need less ancillary medication, reducing waste and the environmental burden of drug disposal.
• Biodegradable drug components: Many oncologists are driving the use of biodegradable materials in drug formulations, with PCL, PLA, and PLGA biodegradable polyester nanoparticles securing FDA approval after trials. This shift lessens pharmaceuticals’ environmental impact and aligns with the goal of reducing plastic pollution in health care while showing positive signs in treatment outcomes.
• Streamlined production processes: Advances in manufacturing are leading to efficient production methods that use less electricity and generate less waste, further contributing to a greener pharmaceutical landscape.

Industry focus on these greener approaches is enhancing patient care and outcomes while simultaneously addressing environmental concerns to promote a more sustainable future for the oncology sector.

4. Greening the Foundations

Innovative treatments and processes are protecting patients and playing a primary role in making health care more sustainable. However, you should also remember the fundamentals of promoting environmentally friendly health care facilities. By slashing energy consumption in hospitals through LEED-certified facility wings, installing solar panels on roofs, and reducing water use with advanced water-recycling systems, care providers are getting the basics of sustainability right.

At the same time, many oncology departments are implementing protocols to minimize the use of single-use plastics and reduce waste. Where safe and feasible, they also reuse medical equipment to reduce waste. By implementing these changes, health care institutions and their cancer care departments are upholding the well-established fundamentals of sustainability to create more eco-friendly, healthier environments for patients.

The Future of Oncology Is Eco-Friendly and Compassionate

Embracing innovations such as tele-oncology, pharmaceutical advancements, and holistic cancer care means oncology departments are doing their part to drive change. Meanwhile, advertising them could encourage more buy-in. These advancements are establishing a health care system that looks after its patients physically, psychologically, and environmentally.

About the author: Beth Rush is the green wellness editor at Body+Mind, where she covers topics like the power of climate consciousness at all stages of education. You can find Beth on Twitter @bodymindmag. Subscribe to Body+Mind for more posts by Beth!