Popular Mistletoe Remedy Ineffective As Cancer Therapy The addition of a mistletoe lectin-1 standardized preparation is no more effective than standard treatments alone for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma, according to the results of a prospective German study. According to Dr. M. K. Steuer-Vogt of the Technische Universitat Munchen in Munich, mistletoe preparations are among the most common complementary or alternative medicine products used in Europe for the treatment of cancer. In the new study, 202 patients were treated surgically and 275 underwent both surgery and radiation therapy. Patients in both groups were randomized to receive mistletoe extract or placebo. The extract was given twice weekly SC at 1 ng/mL per kg for 60 weeks, in treatment cycles of 12 weeks followed by a 4-week break. The results appear in the European Journal of Cancer for January 1. The total relapse incidence, as well as development of distant metastases and second primary cancers, did not differ significantly between the mistletoe and placebo groups. Likewise, tumor-related mortality was similar between groups, 74 deaths among those treated with placebo and 83 deaths among those treated with mistletoe. Lymphocyte subsets and activation markers were unrelated to treatment. According to repeated measurements up to week 156, the cancer-specific European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life-score 30 showed no greater improvement in those treated with mistletoe than those in the control group. No increased benefit was observed in either the surgery-only group or the surgery plus radiotherapy group. Claims about the benefits of mistletoe treatment have been based on trials which, unlike this one, clearly have not been well designed and have not employed the standards of safety and efficacy of the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Steuer-Vogt's team writes. The investigators conclude that the mistletoe preparation they used cannot be recommended as adjuvant treatment for patients with head and neck squamous cell carcinoma. In an editorial comment, Dr. E. Ernst of the University of Exeter in the UK concurs with the investigators' conclusion, noting that their study "clearly belongs to the most rigorous trials on this subject." Eur J Cancer 2001;37:9-11,23-31. Thanks to Reuters Health Lancet Online, article Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.