Attendees at the second Wellness for Cancer Roundtable last week identified steps to move the spa industry forward in treating guests who have – or have had – cancer.

The event was held on 4 May, at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, US, and brought together representatives from the medical community with those in the spa industry.

Wellness For Cancer hosted its first roundtable last year in London.

Moderated by Dr Brent Bauer, director of integrative medicine at Mayo Clinic; Dr Lisa Corbin, director of executive health from the University of Colorado Cancer Center; and Julie Bach, chair of the Wellness For Cancer (WFC) Initiative, the latest roundtable’s goal was to continue WFC’s role in bridging medical evidence with cancer-aware guidelines for the spa and wellness industry.

The theme was “teachable moments, fostering healthy behavioural lifestyle choices through the cancer continuum”, and Bach said the event was eight years in the making. At the end of the day-long event, attendees identified three topics to move the industry towards being more cancer-aware.

Because many hotel brands are reluctant to train their staff in cancer-aware treatments because of perceived liability concerns, WFC will hire a third-party to conduct a risk analysis survey and provide guidelines on how to mitigate risks.

The initiative will also continue to work with leading wellness brands to enable the industry to better understand this topic as part of a brand’s wellness strategy and not a standalone “disease-oriented or cancer-care menu item,” said Bach.

WFC will also conduct a feasibility study to measure skin health during and after cancer treatment to help skincare brands see the necessity for beauty treatments for those who have had cancer.

The initiative will also continue to define cancer-aware guidelines that Bach and her team have been working on over the past three years.

Evidence-based roundtable presentations from Mayo Clinic and University of Colorado Cancer Center – as well as presentations and participation from wellness brands and non-profits working within the cancer arena – helped structure the research themes, secure seed-funding for research, and define future pilot programmes, starting with exercise.

“I’d like to thank everyone who attended this roundtable to move the conversation – and the industry – forward when it comes to safely treating our guests who have had cancer as normal wellness-seeking guests,” said Bach. “The event achieved what I’d hoped it would, including the continued joint development of cancer-aware guidelines with the medical industry. We also were able to secure some much-needed donations to help fund research, which I’m so grateful for – this will help us proceed as a viable wellness industry initiative.”

Attendees from this year’s roundtable included Dr Paola Hernandez and Maria Hernandez, JD – Lazz Foundation; Dr Mariela Silveira, Kurotel Longevity Center; Dr Joel Kahn, eMindful, Dr Stephen Lipp, Biologique Recherche; Susie Ellis, Global Wellness Institute; Rupert Schmid, Biologique Recherche; Adrianna Azuara, All 4 Spas; Martin Goldman, A-spa; Dave Erlich, Sandals; Zev Suissa, eMindful; Tom Monrad, Technogym; Andrea Leonard, Cancer Exercise Training Institute; and Ayrn Sieber and Sherri Mahar, Cannisseur Brands.