SynthesisBMC cancer2009
Survival of cancer patients treated with mistletoe extract (Iscador): a systematic literature review.
Synthesis in BMC cancer, 2009. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT01448655 (Prospective Epidemiological Study to Expand Knowledge on Efficacy and Safety of a Routine Post-operative Supportive Therapy With the Mistletoe Extract Iscador® Qu Within Oncological Treatment of Colorectal Cancer Stages UICC II-IV), which is not on this map. Cited by 46 papers, 6 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Prospective Epidemiological Study to Expand Knowledge on Efficacy and Safety of a Routine Post-operative Supportive Therapy With the Mistletoe Extract Iscador® Qu Within Oncological Treatment of Colorectal Cancer Stages UICC II-IV
Who cites it
46 citing papers in PubMed, 6 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 112 citations in OpenAlex.
- Systematic assessment of the influence of quality of studies on mistletoe in cancer care on the results of a meta-analysis on overall survival.Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology · 2024Pooled it
- Mistletoe Extracts during the Oncological Perioperative Period: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Human Randomized Controlled Trials.Current oncology (Toronto, Ont.) · 2023Pooled it
- Systematic analysis of mistletoe prescriptions in clinical studies.Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology · 2023Pooled it
- Mistletoe in oncological treatment: a systematic review : Part 1: survival and safety.Journal of cancer research and clinical oncology · 2019Pooled it
- Clinical practice guidelines on the evidence-based use of integrative therapies during and after breast cancer treatment.CA: a cancer journal for clinicians · 2017Guideline
- Safety of higher dosages of Viscum album L. in animals and humans--systematic review of immune changes and safety parameters.BMC complementary and alternative medicine · 2011Pooled it
- Pharmacological Properties of Parasitic Plants: Current Evidence and the Role of Parasitic Lifestyle.Plants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2026Review
- Immediate Postoperative AbnobaVISCUMYonsei medical journal · 2025Article
- Article
- Phytochemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity of aPlants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Chronobiology ofFrontiers in physiology · 2024Article
- The Anti-Inflammatory Activity ofPlants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2023Review
- In-Vitro Growth Kinetics of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Cytotoxicity Tests Using Low-Diluted Viscum Album.Homeopathy : the journal of the Faculty of Homeopathy · 2023Article
- Complementary Medicine Use Amongst Patients with Metastatic Cancer Enrolled in Phase III Clinical Trials.The oncologist · 2022Article
- Evolution of the adaptogenic concept from traditional use to medical systems: Pharmacology of stress- and aging-related diseases.Medicinal research reviews · 2021Review
- Phytochemical analysis and in vitro anti-proliferative activity of Viscum album ethanolic extracts.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2020Article
- Statement to an Insufficient Systematic Review onEvidence-based complementary and alternative medicine : eCAM · 2020Article
- Anthroposophic Medicine: A Short Monograph and Narrative Review-Foundations, Essential Characteristics, Scientific Basis, Safety, Effectiveness and Misconceptions.Global advances in health and medicine · 2020Article
- Observational
- Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
3 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundIn Europe, extracts from Viscum album (VA-E), the European white-berry mistletoe, are widely used to treat patients with cancer.
methodsWe searched several databases such as Cochrane, EMBASE, NCCAM, NLM, DIMDI, CAMbase, and Medline. Inclusion criteria were controlled clinical studies on parameters associated with survival in cancer patients treated with Iscador. Outcome data were extracted as they were given in the publication, and expressed as hazard ratios (HR), their logarithm, and the respective standard errors using standard formulas.
resultsWe found 49 publications on the clinical effects of Iscador usage on survival of cancer patients which met our criteria. Among them, 41 studies and strata provided enough data to extract hazard ratios (HR) and their standard errors (Iscador versus no extra treatment). The majority of studies reported positive effects in favour of the Iscador application. Heterogeneity of study results was moderate (I2 = 38.3%, p < 0.0001). The funnel plots were considerably skewed, indicating a publication bias, a notion which is corroborated by statistical means (AC = -1.3, CI: -1.9 to -0.6, p <= 0.0001). A random effect meta-analysis estimated the overall hazard ratio at HR = 0.59 (CI: 0.53 to 0.66, p < 0.0001). Randomized studies showed less effects than non-randomized studies (ratio of HRs: 1.24, CI: 0.79 to 1.92, p = 0.35), and matched-pair studies gave significantly better results than others (ratio of HRs: 0.33; CI: 0.17 to 0.65, p = 0.0012).
conclusionsPooled analysis of clinical studies suggests that adjuvant treatment of cancer patients with the mistletoe extract Iscador is associated with a better survival. Despite obvious limitations, and strong hints for a publication bias which limits the evidence found in this meta-analysis, one can not ignore the fact that studies with positive effects of VA-E on survival of cancer patients are accumulating. Future studies evaluating the effects of Iscador should focus on a transparent design and description of endpoints in order to provide greater insight into a treatment often being depreciated as ineffective, but highly valued by cancer patients.
Indexed as
Identifiers
What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.