The C.A.M. Report
Complementary and Alternative Medicine: Fair, Balanced, and to the Point
  • About this web log

    This blog ran from 2006 to 2016 and was intended as an objective and dispassionate source of information on the latest CAM research. Since my background is in pharmacy and allopathic medicine, I view all CAM as advancing through the development pipeline to eventually become integrated into mainstream medical practice. Some will succeed while others fail. But all are treated fairly here.

  • About the author

    John Russo, Jr., PharmD, is president of The MedCom Resource, Inc. Previously, he was senior vice president of medical communications at www.Vicus.com, a complementary and alternative medicine website.

  • Common sense considerations

    The material on this weblog is for informational purposes. It is not medical advice or counsel. Be smart, consult your health professional before using CAM.

  • Recent Posts

  • Recent Comments

    Mistletoe and cancer treatment

    Mistletoe preparations are sometimes used as CAM to treat solid cancers such as breast cancer.

    Here are statistics on the use of mistletoe to treat cancer, the results of a recently published clinical study in women with breast cancer, and a review of the medical literature.

    The British Medical Journal reports?

    • In continental Europe, at least 30 different mistletoe preparations are available.
    • In Europe, the annual cost of this mistletoe treatment is about £30m (E45m; $59m).
    • In Germany, the insurance system pays for this treatment.
    • More than 140,000 websites promote or mention mistletoe as a treatment for cancer.

    Yet, there are few clinical trials on its use.

    One recently published study in women with breast cancer (some treated with mistletoe, other not) reported a “clinically relevant” effect on breast tumor progression as measured by overall survival and time to recurrences.

    Overall, the evidence supporting the use of mistletoe is weak. A review of the mistletoe literature several years ago found that most studies were not well designed.

    And while some weaker studies implied benefits, particularly in quality of life, well-designed studies of mistletoe extracts failed to demonstrate benefits from this therapy.

    Merry Christmas and happy holidays.
    12/21/06 21:57 JR

    Leave a Comment

    You must be logged in to post a comment.