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Actress Suzanne Somers recently announced that she has breast
cancer and is using an alternative therapy to help
treat the disease. Somers is taking Iscador, an extract of mistletoe that some claim
stimulates the immune system and helps fight cancer and other diseases. While standard
breast cancer treatment typically consists of surgery, chemotherapy,
radiation, and/or other drug
therapies, recent studies find that the majority of breast cancer patients also use
some form of non-traditional therapy in addition to these established ones. Commonly used
alternative therapies include acupuncture, vitamin and nutritional supplements, herbs,
meditation, massage and visualization techniques.
| Alternative Medicine |
Complementary Medicine |
| A
non-traditional therapy that is used in place of traditional medicine. |
A
non-traditional therapy that is used as a supplement to traditional medicine. |
Fifty-four year old Somers told talk show host Larry King that she had
undergone breast cancer surgery (lumpectomy) and radiation
therapy. She has now opted to take injections of the mistletoe extract Iscador in place of
chemotherapy, against the recommendation of her doctors (although she recently told Today
Show host Katie Couric that she may re-consider having chemotherapy at a later date).
The injection of mistletoe is one of the most commonly prescribed complementary therapies
for cancer patients in Europe, particularly in Germany and Switzerland. Only European
species of mistletoe are used in these countries and are sold under the brand names
Iscador or Helixor. Mistletoe is not approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in
the United States.
European physicians who prescribe mistletoe preparations believe that mistletoe helps
strengthen the immune system and may slow the growth of cancer. Injections of mistletoe
are usually made directly into or near the cancerous tumor (Somers injects Iscador into
her abdomen). Mistletoe is used in Europe as a complementary therapy to treat several
types of cancer, including breast, cervical, ovarian,
stomach, colon, lung, leukemias, sarcomas, and lymphomas. In Europe, mistletoe extracts
are usually administered before cancer surgery and appear to be safe to use with
chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
Side effects of mistletoe include temporary redness at the injection site, headache,
fever, and chills. Medical literature on mistletoe does not reveal other toxic effects of
the extract when used in the form of an injection. However, mistletoe is poisonous when
taken orally or intravenously (through a vein). Mistletoe preparations also vary depending
on how they are prepared (fermented or non-fermented), the particular species that is
used, and the season in which the mistletoe is harvested.
While several European studies have focused on the use of mistletoe, the American
Cancer Society says that no controlled human studies have shown mistletoe to have any
significant anti-tumor activity. Furthermore, the majority of studies on mistletoe have
flaws and are not considered scientifically accepted. A review of mistletoe by the
Canadian Breast Cancer Initiative’s Task Force on Alternative Therapies reports that
"although there is laboratory evidence of biological activity that may be beneficial
to cancer patients, the evidence of clinical benefit from human studies remains weak and
inconclusive. Because of the absence of serious side effects and the limited evidence that
mistletoe products may offer some therapeutic advantage, further research is
warranted."
Many Cancer Patients Try Alternative/Complementary Therapies
Studies show that despite a lack of clear-cut scientific evidence in favor of
alternative medicines, the majority of cancer patients use non-traditional therapies in
addition to standard cancer treatment. In a recent survey of 1,935 cancer patients,
researchers found that 84% of breast cancer patients and 66% of patients with other
cancers reported using non-traditional therapies. Study participants cited the need to
boost their immune systems as the most common reason why they considered complementary
therapies.
In another study, researchers surveyed women of four ethnic groups (Latino, white,
black, and Chinese) who were diagnosed with breast cancer in San Francisco, California
between 1990 and 1992. The study revealed that over 50% of the breast cancer patients used
some form of alternative therapy and approximately one-third of the patients used two or
more alternative therapies. The choice of therapy varied among ethnic group and included
spiritual healing, herbal remedies, dietary methods, massage, and acupuncture. More than
90% of the study participants said they found the therapies helpful and would recommend
them to others.
Yet despite the large number of cancer patients who use non-traditional therapies,
studies find that only a few patients discuss these alternative/complementary therapies
with their cancer treatment physicians. The majority of women surveyed about this issue
said that they did not discuss this issue with their physicians because they either
believed their traditional physicians did not know enough about alternative therapies or
that the physicians would discourage them from continuing non-traditional practices.
Researchers believe this lack of communication between physician and patient puts women
at greater risk for drug interactions and serious setbacks in cancer treatment. While the
majority of complementary therapies may be taken or practiced with standard therapies, a
few may cause negative reactions. For example, a recent study conducted at the University
of North Carolina at Chapel Hill showed that vitamin A and vitamin E kept cancer cells
from dying in laboratory rats, (although the results have not been confirmed in humans).
Therefore, patients should discuss all non-traditional therapies with their physicians to
make sure they are safe. Physicians who treat cancer patients are also encouraged to
initiate a discussion of alternative/complementary medicines with their patients so they
can better understand their patients’ treatment preferences.
Additional Resources and References
- The American Cancer Society's Guide to Complementary and Alternative Cancer Methods
provides information on mistletoe and a host of other alternative/complementary therapies.
To learn more about this book, please visit http://www.imaginis.com/bookstore/breasthealth/diagnosis.asp#ACSguide
- The report, "Unconventional Therapies for Cancer: 3. Iscador," is published in
the May 5, 1998 issue of the Canadian Medical Association Journal.
- The study, "A Comparison of Complementary Therapy Use Between Breast Cancer
Patients and Patients with Other Primary Tumor Sites," is published in the May 2000 issue of American
Journal of Surgery. An abstract of the study is available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db
=PubMed&list_uids=10930491&dopt=Abstract
- The study, "Alternative Therapies Used by Women with Breast Cancer in Four Ethnic
Populations, is published in the January 5, 2000 issue of the Journal of the National
Cancer Institute. An abstract of the study is available at http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db
=PubMed&list_uids=10620632&dopt=Abstract
- The February 8, 2000 Imaginis report, "Most Breast Cancer Patients Try Alternative
Treatments," is available at http://www.imaginis.com/breasthealth/news/news2.08.00b.asp
- To learn more about alternative/complementary therapies, please visit http://www.imaginis.com/breasthealth/alternative.asp
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