Abstract
BackgroundIn the latest years, a lot of research studies regarding the usage of active agents from plants in the treatment of tumors have been published, but there is no data about successful usage of herbal remedies in the treatment of glioblastoma in humans.MethodsThe phytotherapy involved five types of herbal medicine which the subjects took in the form of tea, each type once a day at regular intervals. Three patients took herbal medicine along with standard oncological treatment, while two patients applied for phytotherapy after completing medical treatment. The composition of herbal medicine was modified when necessary, which depended on the results of the control scans using the nuclear magnetic resonance technique and/or computed tomography.ResultsForty-eight months after the introduction of phytotherapy, there were no clinical or radiological signs of the disease, in three patients; in one patient, the tumor was reduced and his condition was stable, and one patient lived for 48 months in spite of a large primary tumor and a massive recurrence, which developed after the treatment had been completed.ConclusionsThe results achieved in patients in whom tumor regression occurred exclusively through the use of phytotherapy deserve special attention.In order to treat glioblastoma more effectively, it is necessary to develop innovative therapeutic strategies and medicines that should not be limited only to the field of conventional medicine. The results presented in this research paper are encouraging and serve as a good basis for further research on the possibilities of phytotherapy in the treatment of glioblastoma.
Highlights
In the latest years, a lot of research studies regarding the usage of active agents from plants in the treatment of tumors have been published, but there is no data about successful usage of herbal remedies in the treatment of glioblastoma in humans
Case presentation Case 1 The first report describes the case of a 15-year-old girl who developed glioblastoma multiforme (GBM) from the previously treated diffuse astrocytoma (Gr-2)
The second surgery was performed in August 2008, and an inspection of a sample of tumor tissue showed that it was a recurrence of a diffuse astrocytoma
Summary
A lot of research studies regarding the usage of active agents from plants in the treatment of tumors have been published, but there is no data about successful usage of herbal remedies in the treatment of glioblastoma in humans. Glioblastoma multiforme falls into the group of astrocytic tumors. It is a most malignant intracranial tumor, and according to the classification by the World Health Organization (WHO), its degree of differentiation is IV [(GBM) grade IV] [1]. According to the manner of their formation, glioblastoma multiformes (GBMs) are divided into primary GBMs, occurring de novo and accounting for about 90% of all GMBs, and secondary GBMs, which occur due to a malignant progression of lower grade astrocytoma. While in well-differentiated pilocytic astrocytoma (WHO grade I), only rare cases of malignant progression have been recorded, progression to a higher grade is almost the rule in diffuse (WHO grade II) and Current results achieved in the treatment of GBM are unsatisfactory. In the past 15 years, the greatest breakthrough in the treatment of GBM has been achieved by the introduction of an alkylating agent temozolomide (TMZ) which, together with
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