Mistletoe is the English common name for over 1200 species of a semi-parasitic plant that grows on trees worldwide, though only viscum album (European or common mistletoe) is used in the treatment of cancer and inflammatory conditions. References to mistletoe as a sacred plant and remedy appear throughout history and date as far back as the writings of Hippocrates (c. 460 - c. 370) and Pliny the Elder (AD 23-79), but it was only through the indications of Rudolf Steiner, in the early 1920's, that it became known that mistletoe could be used for the treatment of cancer. It was then developed as an injection.
Since that time, European oncologists have been using the liquid extract of the mistletoe plant to improve survival in patients with cancer and to improve quality of life by reducing the side-effects of chemotherapy and radiation, such as nausea, vomiting and lack of appetite, as well as diminishing tumor-related pain. Mistletoe injections are currently among the most widely used complementary cancer treatments in Europe. It is approved for palliative care use in several European countries, but not yet in the United States. Until further clinical testing is done in the US, oncologists cannot offer this treatment as standard of care for cancer patients. Mistletoe is being administered in the US by complementary medicine practitioners, but mistletoe is not approved by the FDA for cancer treatment.
The clinical effectiveness of mistletoe extracts in cancer has been investigated in a great number of studies and clinical trials, primarily in Europe. A clinical trial is currently being conducted in the US at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine.
Disclaimer
None of the information provided on Mistletoe should be interpreted as an endorsement or position of PAAM to use Mistletoe in the clinical setting. These materials are for research and educational purposes only. Mistletoe is not FDA approved for treatment of cancer or any disease. It is the sole responsibility of clinicians to offer this supplement in their practice. PAAM does not recommend mistletoe as a replacement for treatments prescribed by trained and board certified oncologists. Only licensed clinicians can prescribe mistletoe. They should be fully trained in its adjuvant or supplemental use and potential side effects, drug interactions, contraindications and appropriate indications.Articles
→ Trial at Johns Hopkins (2013)
→ Mistletoe Therapy and Cancer - An Overview (2014)
→ Are mistletoe extract injections the next big thing in cancer therapy? (2014)
→ Mistletoe: From Basic Research to Clinical Outcomes in Cancer and Other Indications (2014)
→ Survival of cancer patients treated with mistletoe extract (Iscador): a systematic literature review (2009)
→ Scientific Information and Study Results Review (ISCADOR) (2017?)
→ Preclinical and Clinical Effects of Mistletoe against Breast Cancer (2014)
→ Overall survival of stage IV non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with Viscum album (2018)
→ Safety of higher dosages of Viscum album L. in animals and humans (2011)
→ Safety of Intravenous Applications of Mistletoe (2017)
→ Adverse Drug Reactions and Expected Effects to Therapy with Subcutaneous Mistletoe Extracts (Viscum album L.) in Cancer (2014)
→ Use and Safety of Intratumoral Application of European Mistletoe (2014)
→ Safety of intravenously applied mistletoe extract – results from a phase I dose escalation study in patients with advanced cancer (2017)
→ Complementary Treatment with Mistletoe Extracts During Chemotherapy (2018)
→ Intravenous Mistletoe Treatment in Integrative Cancer Care: A Qualitative Study Exploring the Procedures, Concepts and Observations of Expert Doctors (2016)
→ Bilateral Asynchronous Renal Cell Carcinoma With Lung Metastases: A Case Report of a Patient Treated Solely With High-dose Intravenous and Subcutaneous Viscum album Extract for a Second Renal Lesion (2019)
→ Intralesional and subcutaneous application of Viscum album L.(European mistletoe) extract in cervical carcinoma in situ: A CARE compliant case report (2018)
→ COVID 19, mistletoe therapy and cancer (Helixor.de website, German)
→ COVID 19, mistletoe therapy and cancer (Helixor YouTube, English) (updated 2021)
→ COVID 19, mistletoe therapy and cancer (Helixor YouTube, Spanish) (updated 2021)
Further Reading on Anthroposophic Medicine and Oncology
→ Cancer Care, School of Spiritual Science, Medical Section at the Goetheanum [medsektion-goetheanum.org website]
→ Mistel-therapie.de, mistletoe therapy, German-language [website]
→ GS Kienle, et al., Individualized Integrative Cancer Care in Anthroposophic Medicine: A Qualitative Study of the Concepts and Procedures of Expert Doctors. Integr Cancer Ther. 2016 Dec;15(4):478-494.
→ GS Kienle and H Kiene. Influence of Viscum album L (European Mistletoe) Extracts on Quality of Life in Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review of Controlled Clinical Studies. Integr Cancer Ther. 2010, 9 (2), 142–157.
→ W Tröger, et al., Viscum album [L.] extract therapy in patients with locally advanced or metastatic pancreatic cancer: a randomised clinical trial on overall survival. Eur J Cancer. 2013 Dec;49(18):3788-97
→ W Tröger, et al., Quality of life of patients with advanced pancreatic cancer during treatment with mistletoe: a randomized controlled trial. Dtsch Arztebl Int. 2014 Jul 21;111(29-30):493-502
→ F Schad, et al., Overall survival of stage IV non-small cell lung cancer patients treated with Viscum album L. in addition to chemotherapy, a real-world observational multicenter analysis. PLOS ONE. 2018, 13(8): e0203058
→ H Greenlee, et al., Clinical practice guidelines on the evidence‐based use of integrative therapies during and after breast cancer treatment. CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians. 2017, 67: 194-232
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