SynthesisBMC complementary medicine and therapies2020
Quality of life in cancer patients treated with mistletoe: a systematic review and meta-analysis.
Synthesis in BMC complementary medicine and therapies, 2020. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT05726383 (MISTOSUS), which is not on this map. Cited by 48 papers, 8 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.
MISTOSUS: Iscador® P (Mistletoe) Immunotherapy To Improve Event Free Survival In Patients With Relapsed Resectable Osteosarcoma
Who cites it
48 citing papers in PubMed, 8 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 81 citations in OpenAlex.
- Cost-effectiveness of integrative oncology for sustainable and patient-centred cancer care: a systematic review in the context of the WHO global traditional medicine strategy 2025-2034.Frontiers in public health · 2026Pooled it
- Rice bran arabinoxylan compound as a natural product for cancer treatment - an evidence-based assessment of the effects and mechanisms.Pharmaceutical biology · 2024Pooled it
- 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
- Cancer-related fatigue in patients treated with mistletoe extracts: a systematic review and meta-analysis.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2022Pooled it
- Survival of Cancer Patients Treated with Non-Fermented Mistletoe Extract: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Integrative cancer therapiesPooled it
- Quality of Life in Breast Cancer Patients Treated With Mistletoe Extracts: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.Integrative cancer therapiesPooled it
- Mistletoe extract in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer: Health-related quality of life in a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled trial (MISTRAL).Palliative medicine · 2026Trial
- MISTOSUS: a phase II trial ofFuture oncology (London, England) · 2026Trial
- Mistletoe Extract in Patients With Advanced Pancreatic Cancer: a Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Tial (MISTRAL)Deutsches Arzteblatt international · 2024Trial
- Evaluation of quality of life in lung cancer patients receiving radiation and Viscum album L.: a real-world data study.Radiation oncology (London, England) · 2023Trial
- Evaluation of copper chloride crystallisation as a method for systems-level characterisation of phytopharmaceuticals - a pilot investigation.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- An integrative naturopathic oncology approach in metastatic malignant melanoma: two case reports.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Article
- Systems approach to integrative oncology in breast cancer care: service design, delivery and patient experiences from a UK center.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Article
- Article
- Phytochemical Composition and Antioxidant Activity of aPlants (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Mistletoe in Cancer Cell Biology: Recent Advances.Current issues in molecular biology · 2025Review
- Combined Immune Checkpoint Blockade and HelixorInternational journal of molecular sciences · 2025Article
- Immune Checkpoint Blockade Combined with AbnobaViscumPharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) · 2024Article
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
2 authors at 2 institutions in 2 countries.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundMistletoe extracts are used as an adjunct therapy for cancer patients, but there is dissent as to whether this therapy has a positive impact on quality of life (QoL).
methodsWe conducted a systematic review searching in several databases (Medline, Embase, CENTRAL, CINAHL, PsycInfo, Science Citation Index, clinicaltrials.gov, opengrey.org ) by combining terms that cover the fields of "neoplasm", "quality of life" and "mistletoe". We included prospective controlled trials that compared mistletoe extracts with a control in cancer patients and reported QoL or related dimensions. The quality of the studies was assessed with the Cochrane Risk of Bias tool version 2. We conducted a quantitative meta-analysis.
resultsWe included 26 publications with 30 data sets. The studies were heterogeneous. The pooled standardized mean difference (random effects model) for global QoL after treatment with mistletoe extracts vs. control was d = 0.61 (95% CI 0.41-0.81, p < 0,00001). The effect was stronger for younger patients, with longer treatment, in studies with lower risk of bias, in randomized and blinded studies. Sensitivity analyses support the validity of the finding. 50% of the QoL subdomains (e.g. pain, nausea) show a significant improvement after mistletoe treatment. Most studies have a high risk of bias or at least raise some concern.
conclusionMistletoe extracts produce a significant, medium-sized effect on QoL in cancer. Risk of bias in the analyzed studies is likely due to the specific type of treatment, which is difficult to blind; yet this risk is unlikely to affect the outcome. PROSPERO REGISTRATION: CRD42019137704 .
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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.