Are Mistletoe Extract Injections The Next Big Thing In Cancer Therapy?

Being diagnosed with cancer can be scary. Its treatment not only focuses on removing the tumour and providing chemotherapy and radiation therapy, although these are important aspects of curing cancer patients. Treatment also takes into account the patient as a whole, meaning it takes a holistic approach. Integrated oncology, a relatively new branch of oncology, emphasizes treating the patient and not just the disease.

How does Integrated Oncology work?

Integrated oncologists include conventional medicines using targeted therapies, monoclonal antibodies and chemotherapy with nutritional forms of treatment to form distinctive therapeutic regimens for cancer patients.

Why Oncologists are Turning to Mistletoe Extracts for Treatment?

Mistletoe is a parasitic plant. When the seeds of mistletoe land on a suitable host, it penetrates the roots to draw out water and nutrients from shrubs and trees. Mistletoe consists of chlorophyll and has the ability to undergo photosynthesis. A number of factors affect the composition of mistletoe – harvest season, host tree, mistletoe species, procedures used to obtain the extracts, and different preparatory methods used by manufacturers. Mistletoe extracts have been shown to restore the ability of cancer cells to die so that they do not continue to grow unchecked. Lab studies have shown that extract of the plants are proapoptotic towards cancer cells, meaning that they promote cell death.

How is mistletoe extracts given to the patient?

Mistletoe extracts are normally administered under the skin using an injection. It can also be given orally or intravenously into a tumour or the pleural cavity. However, studies claim that the results are most effective when the extracts are administered through an injection.

What do research studies state?

A study published in 2013 looked at the use of mistletoe in advanced stages of cancer i.e. when the disease has spread from the affected organ to other parts of the body. A group of patients received palliative care and were randomly assigned to receive either mistletoe therapy or no anticancer therapy. Results stated that those who received mistletoe treatment not only showed a lower risk of mortality but also experienced fewer symptoms related to cancer in comparison to those who did not receive mistletoe therapy.

Mistletoe is a widely researched alternative and complementary medicinal agent. Due to its effectiveness and low side effects, more and more healthcare professionals are recommending mistletoe extract injections as palliative treatment for cancer patients. This ensures that the patient is able to heal and live more comfortably in the final stages of cancer.