The Palliative Curative Treatment of Untreatable Metastatic Solid Tumor Patients by a Psycho-Neuroendocrino-Immunophytotherapic (PNEIF) Regimen with Natural Anticancer Agents

Abstract

Several natural agents, including both human endogenous neuroendocrine substances, namely the pineal hormones, and plants, mainly Aloe, Myrrh and Magnolia, have been proven to exert anticancer activities, due to antiproliferative and immunomodulating properties. On this basis, a study was planned in an attempt to evaluate the therapeutic efficacy of a psychoneuroendocrinoimmun-phytotherapic (PNEIF) regimen with pineal hormones and antitumor plants in a group of untreatable metastatic solid tumor patients, for whom no treatment other than the palliative therapy was available, because of lack of response to previous chemotherapies, poor clinical status or personal refusal of chemotherapy, and with a life expectancy less than 1 year. The pineal hormone melatonin (MLT) and 5-methoxytryptamine (5-MTT) were given orally at 100 mg/day in the dark period and at 5 mg in the light period of the day, respectively, in association with Aloe and Myrrh mixture at 10 ml thrice/day, Magnolia cortex at 500 mg twice/day and Bowellia at 1000 mg/day in patients with brain metastases. A complete response (CR) and partial response (PR) were achieved in 2 and in 8 patients. Then, an objective tumor regression was obtained in 10/132 (8%) patients. A stable disease (SD) was found in 61 patients, then a disease control (DC), consisting of CR plus PR plus SD, was achieved in 71/132 (54%) patients, whereas the remaining patients had a progressive disease (PD). A survival longer than 1 year was seen in 63/132 (48%) patients, and the percent of 2 and 3-year survival obtained in patients with response or SD was significantly longer than that found in patients with PD. The treatment was well tolerated and no relevant biological toxicity occurred. This preliminary study would demonstrate that a PNEIF combination with natural anticancer agents may prolong the survival time in patients, for whom no standard therapy was available other than the only palliative therapy, and with an expected survival less than 1 year.