Controlled prospective studies on the long-term therapy of cervical, corpus uteri and ovarian cancer patients with a mistletoe preparation (Iscador)

Abstract

Aims Mistletoe preparations such as Iscador are in common use as complementary medications, particularly for solid cancers. Does the long-term application of a complementary therapy with the mistletoe preparation Iscador show any effect in prospective studies on the survival or psychosomatic self-regulation of patients with cervical, corpus uteri or ovarian cancer? Methods Prospective recruitment and long-term follow-up in the 11 controlled cohort studies. (A) Five randomised matched-pair studies: Patients without/with distant metastases from cervical (0 pairs/19 pairs), corpus uteri (30 pairs/26 pairs) or ovarian cancer (21 pairs/20 pairs) who never used any kind of mistletoe therapy were matched for prognostic factors. By paired random allocation, one patient of a pair received a suggestion of mistletoe therapy to be applied by the attending physician. (B) Six non-randomised matched-pair studies: Cervical (102 pairs/66 pairs), corpus uteri (103 pairs/95 pairs) and ovarian (75 pairs/62 pairs) cancer patients without/with metastases who already received mistletoe (Iscador) therapy were matched by the same criteria to control patients without Iscador therapy. Results 1. Overall survival: Two from five randomised studies showed a significant effect (hazard ratio estimate and 95% confidence interval): Corpus uteri cancer without metastases 0.36 (0.16, 0.82), ovarian cancer with metastases 0.33 (0.12, 0.92). In five from six non-randomised studies, the results (adjusted for relevant prognostic variables) were significant. 2. Within 12 months, psychosomatic self-regulation increases significantly in the Iscador group compared to the control group in all six studies that measured this effect. Randomised studies on cervical, corpus uteri or ovarian cancer without metastases obtained estimates of the median difference (95% confidence interval): 0.70 (0.15, 1.05), 0.40 (0.15, 0.70) and 0.58 (0.30, 0.90). Similarly, non-randomised studies on cervical, corpus uteri or ovarian cancer without metastases: 0.25 (0.15, 0.35), 0.70 (0.25, 1.15) and 0.30 (0.05, 0.65). Conclusions The mistletoe preparation Iscador might have a prolonging effect on the overall survival of cervical, corpus uteri and ovarian cancer patients of all stages. In the short term, psychosomatic self-regulation as a measure of quality of life increases significantly more under complementary Iscador therapy than under conventional therapy alone in all studies measured.