Cancer-related fatigue in patients treated with mistletoe extracts: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Pelzer, Florian; Loef, Martin; Martin, David; Baumgartner, Stephan

doi:10.1007/s00520-022-06921-x

Cited by 24 publications

(21 citation statements)

References 56 publications

(99 reference statements)

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“…The fact that in our study AM was offered to most patients reflects the primary interest and specialty of the staff physicians working at the ZIM. MT as part of anthroposophical medicine is widely used in Europe and has been shown to have selective immunomodulatory and anticancer properties [5, 6] and is supported by guidelines [7]. In most patients, more than one treatment was chosen, reflecting the multimodal concept of integrative medicine.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diagnosis and Treatment of Patients Utilizing Complementary Medicine at a Tertiary Referral Hospital in Eastern Switzerland

Schlegel,

Haegele-Link,

Bertotto

et al. 2023

Complement Med Res

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Background: In 2012, the Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen, a tertiary referral hospital in Eastern Switzerland, opened its Center for Integrative Medicine (ZIM). This study aims to characterize disease and treatment characteristics of adult patients treated at the ZIM. Patients and Methods: For all new patients, physicians at the ZIM completed questionnaires on patients’ diagnoses and treatments. Descriptive statistics for categorical variables were reported as percentages. Univariable logistic regression analysis was used to assess the data. The analysis was performed with the statistical software package SPSS (IBM). Results: From 2015 to 2020, 4,592 new patients were seen at the ZIM. The most common diagnosis in the supergroups was cancer (48%), followed by pain diagnoses (33%). Chronic pain as a subgroup was represented the most in patients (29%). Anthroposophical medication was the most commonly prescribed therapy, in 74% of patients with cancer and 73% with pain diagnosis. The latter was associated with the prescription of eurythmy therapy (OR: 3.80, p < 0.001), traditional Chinese medicine (OR: 3.34, p < 0.001), or art therapy (OR: 5.15, p < 0.001), whereas mistletoe therapy was the preferred treatment option (OR: 59.0, p < 0.001) for a cancer diagnosis. Conclusion and Outlook: The results will help adapt CM services to patients’ needs and provide a good basis for the planning of future services in CM in major hospitals. Further research should be conducted focusing on specific health outcomes.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Diagnosis and Treatment of Patients Utilizing Complementary Medicine at a Tertiary Referral Hospital in Eastern Switzerland

Schlegel,

Haegele-Link,

Bertotto

et al. 2023

Complement Med Res

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“…It has been evaluated as a treatment for CRF in a number of studies. A recent systematic review ( 60 ) of studies undertaken in patients with a variety of different cancers and cancer stages (predominantly non-metastatic) identified 12 RCTs (two of which were double-blind). On meta-analysis, there was a significant benefit for the intervention over placebo (SMD –0.48 [95% CI –0.82 to –0.14]; p = 0.006).…”

Section: Pharmacological Managementmentioning

confidence: 99%

Management of Fatigue in Patients with Advanced Cancer

Stone

Candelmi

Kandola

et al. 2023

Curr. Treat. Options in Oncol.

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Opinion statementFatigue is a common and distressing symptom experienced by patients with cancer. It is most common in patients with locally advanced or metastatic incurable disease. It can have profound effects on quality-of-life and physical functioning. In addition to general supportive measures (directed at tackling contributory conditions and comorbidities), a variety of specific interventions have been developed which can be broadly categorised as physical therapies, psychological therapies or medication. There is some evidence that each of these approaches can have benefits in patients with earlier stage disease, those undergoing active treatment and in cancer survivors. The best evidence is for aerobic exercise, yoga, cognitive-behavioural therapy (CBT) and psycho-educational interventions. Less strong evidence supports the use of medications such as methylphenidate or ginseng. In patients with advanced disease, it is likely that the mechanisms of fatigue or the factors contributing to fatigue maintenance may be different. Relatively fewer studies have been undertaken in this group and the evidence is correspondingly weaker. The authors recommend the cautious use of aerobic exercise (e.g. walking) in those who are still mobile. The authors advise considering the use of psycho-educational approaches or CBT in those patients who are able to engage in such forms of therapy. In patients near the end-of-life, the authors advise use of dexamethasone (short-term use) and other pharmacological treatments only on the basis of a clinical trial.

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“…Die Misteltherapie kann nach der S3-Leitlinie «Komplementärmedizin in der Behandlung von onkologischen PatientInnen» zur Verbesserung der Lebensqualität bei PatientInnen mit soliden Tumoren empfohlen werden [8] und verbessert nach einer in 2022 erschienen Meta-Analyse die krebsbedingte Fatigue mit moderaten Effekten [9].…”

Section: Transfer In Die Praxis Von Pd Dr Petra Voiß (Essen)unclassified

Komplementäre Therapien: Bewertung der Lebensqualität bei Patienten mit Lungenkarzinom unter Bestrahlung und Therapie mit Viscum album

Voiß¹

2023

Kompass Onkol

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Background: Lung cancer (LC) is associated with high mortality and poor quality of life (QoL). The disease as well as oncological treatments such as radiation and chemotherapy with adverse effects can impair the QoL of patients. Add-on treatment with extracts of Viscum album L. (white-berry European mistletoe, VA) has been shown to be feasible and safe and to improve the QoL of cancer patients. The aim of this study was to analyze the changes in QoL of LC patients being treated with radiation according to oncological guidelines and add-on VA treatment in a real-world setting. Methods: A real-world data study was conducted using registry data. Self-reported QoL was assessed by the evaluation of the European Organization of Research and Treatment Health-Related Quality of Life Core Questionnaire scale (EORTC QLQ-C30). Adjusted multivariate linear regression analyses were performed to analyze factors associated with changes in QoL at 12 months. Results: A total of 112 primary LC patients (all stages, 92% non-small-cell lung cancer, median age 70 (ICR: 63–75)), answered the questionnaires at first diagnosis and 12 months later. Assessment of 12 months changes in QoL revealed significant improvement of 27 points for pain (p = 0.006) and 17 points for nausea/vomiting (p = 0.005) in patients who received combined radiation and VA. In addition, significant improvements of 15 to 21 points for role (p = 0.03), physical (p = 0.02), cognitive (p = 0.04), and social functioning (p = 0.04) were observed in guideline treated patients receiving no radiation but add-on VA. Conclusions: Add-on VA therapy reveals supportive effects for the QoL of LC patients. Particularly in combination with radiation a significant reduction in pain and nausea/ vomiting has been observed. Trial registration The study received ethics approval and was retrospectively registered (DRKS00013335 on 27/11/2017).

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Cancer-related fatigue in patients treated with mistletoe extracts: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Cited by 24 publications

References 56 publications

Diagnosis and Treatment of Patients Utilizing Complementary Medicine at a Tertiary Referral Hospital in Eastern Switzerland

Diagnosis and Treatment of Patients Utilizing Complementary Medicine at a Tertiary Referral Hospital in Eastern Switzerland

Management of Fatigue in Patients with Advanced Cancer

Komplementäre Therapien: Bewertung der Lebensqualität bei Patienten mit Lungenkarzinom unter Bestrahlung und Therapie mit Viscum album

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