Why Outliers are Worthy Research Subjects
The medical field, particularly oncology, has long been rooted in evidence-based practices, clinical trials, and statistical norms. While this approach has undoubtedly saved countless lives, it often overlooks a fascinating and potentially transformative group: the outliers. These are the individuals who defy the odds, thriving in ways that mainstream medicine struggles to explain.
As someone living with metastatic cancer since 2010 (initially diagnosed in 2006), I’ve walked a path that blends holistic and allopathic approaches. My journey—cycling 3,700 km solo from Busselton in WA to Eucla, and return in 2022, thriving through integrative methods, and embracing lifestyle changes—has taught me that healing is not always linear, nor confined to conventional paradigms. Yet, the reluctance of mainstream oncology to study or even acknowledge the relevance of outliers like me feels like a missed opportunity.
What could we learn if we studied those who thrive outside the norm? What insights might emerge if we embraced the stories of individuals who have blended lifestyle, nutrition, stress management, emotional healing, and epigenetics into their cancer care?
Who Are the Outliers?
Outliers are the patients who defy statistics. They are the ones who survive longer than expected, achieve remission against all odds, or maintain an exceptional quality of life despite a grim prognosis.
These individuals often credit their outcomes to a combination of factors, including:
Lifestyle changes: diet, exercise, stress management
Emotional healing: trauma work, resilience, positive mindset
Spiritual practices: meditation, mindfulness, sense of purpose
Integrative approaches: combining conventional medicine with acupuncture, naturopathy, or herbal therapies
While these factors may seem anecdotal, they align with emerging research in integrative oncology and epigenetics, which suggests that our environment, lifestyle, and even mindset can influence gene expression and health outcomes.
The Role of Epigenetics
Epigenetics—the study of how behaviours and environment affect gene expression—is a game-changer in understanding cancer and health. Unlike genetic mutations, which are fixed, epigenetic changes are dynamic and reversible.
This means that factors like diet, stress, sleep, and even emotional well-being can “turn on” or “turn off” certain genes, potentially influencing cancer progression or healing.
For example:
Dietary changes can reduce inflammation and support immune function
Exercise improves circulation, lowers stress hormones, and supports well-being
Stress management (meditation, yoga, breathwork) lowers cortisol levels, which otherwise suppress immunity
If epigenetics holds the key to understanding how lifestyle and environment impact cancer, why isn’t this being studied more rigorously in outliers? Could their exceptional outcomes provide clues about how to harness epigenetics for better cancer care?
The Reluctance of Mainstream Oncology
Mainstream oncology tends to focus on treatments that can be standardised, measured, and replicated. While this is vital for drug development, it often excludes the nuanced, deeply personal approaches that outliers embody.
All too often, outliers are dismissed as “lucky anomalies” rather than unique opportunities to learn. Reasons include:
Lack of funding — integrative and lifestyle research receives less support than pharmaceutical studies
Complexity of variables — outlier behaviour spans diet, emotional healing, spirituality… factors difficult to quantify
Scepticism — holistic approaches still face stigma, despite growing supportive evidence
But what if we shifted perspective—treating outliers not as exceptions but as living case studies that can expand medical knowledge?
Questions Worth Asking
What might we learn by studying the commonalities among outliers?
How can epigenetic principles be better integrated into mainstream oncology?
Why is there resistance to holistic and integrative methods when patients themselves report benefits?
Could outlier stories inspire more personalised, patient-centred cancer care?
Learning from Outliers
The work of practitioners like Dr. Nalini Chilkov, who helps patients become “outliers” through integrative approaches, shows the possibilities. Her philosophy: patients can actively defy statistics by healing body, mind, and spirit.
Similarly, research in Current Oncology Reports (2024) underscores how lifestyle shifts, stress management, and integrative care can improve survival.
Books like Radical Remission (Kelly A. Turner, PhD) and Anticancer (Dr. David Servan-Schreiber) highlight commonalities among those who thrive beyond expectations. They show patterns: nutrition, movement, spiritual practice, emotional healing—echoing the lived stories of outliers everywhere.
A Call for Inclusivity in Research
If oncology embraced outliers, we might uncover new healing strategies, improve outcomes, and broaden our understanding of human resilience.
Outliers remind us: cancer care is not one-size-fits-all. They challenge us to go beyond statistics, to value lifestyle, mindset, and environment. Their stories are not anomalies—they’re roadmaps, showing us what is possible.
So, I leave you with this:
What if we stopped dismissing outliers as accidents of fate, and instead recognised them as teachers? Their wisdom may hold the keys to shaping a more holistic future for cancer care.
Suggested Reading
"I Expect My Patients to Be Outliers" – Holistic Primary Care
"Impact of Lifestyle Modifications on Cancer Mortality: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis" (systematic review of lifestyle interventions)
"Lifestyle Medicine for High-Risk Cancer Patients: A Holistic Approach to Better Outcomes"
Books:
Radical Remission – Surviving Cancer Against All Odds (Kelly A. Turner, PhD)
Anticancer – A New Way of Life (Dr. David Servan-Schreiber)
The Biology of Belief (Dr. Bruce Lipton)
Spontaneous Healing (Dr. Andrew Weil)
The Cancer Revolution (Dr. Leigh Erin Connealy)
