Evidence map›Paper›PMID 33776708›Full record

ArticleCase reports in oncology

Mistletoe Extract Viscum Fraxini-2 for Treatment of Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma: A Case Series.

Richard T Lee, Peiying Yang, Asrar Alahmadi, Jennifer McQuade, Eric Yuan, Analisa Difeo, Goutham Narla, Ahmed Kaseb

Open access · goldAbstract readCase Reports
In one paragraph

Article in Case reports in oncology. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 3 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
3citing papers in PubMed
0.2field-weighted citation impact, top 51% of its field
1 · What the graph read from 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.

2 · The registry

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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

3 citing papers in PubMed, 4 citations in OpenAlex.

  1. Review
  2. Article
  3. Review
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors at 3 institutions in 1 country.

Richard T LeeDepartment of Medicine, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center & Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Peiying YangDepartment of Palliative, Rehabilitation, and Integrative Medicine, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.
Asrar AlahmadiDepartment of Medicine, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center & Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Jennifer McQuadeDepartment of Melanoma Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.
Eric YuanDepartment of Medicine, University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center & Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio, USA.
Analisa DifeoDepartments of Obstetrics and Gynecology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Goutham NarlaDepartment of Internal Medicine, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Michigan, USA.
Ahmed KasebDepartment of Gastrointestinal Medical Oncology, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Houston, Texas, USA.
The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center · USUniversity Hospitals of Cleveland · USUniversity of Michigan · US

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundHepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fourth leading cause of death from cancer worldwide, and for advanced HCC the prognosis is poor. Preliminary studies indicate mistletoe extracts may have anticancer activity for HCC.

methodsA prospective observational case series of advanced HCC patients that chose to take a mistletoe extract called viscum fraxini-2 (VF-2) alone for treatment. Time on treatment, imaging, and laboratory values were collected for descriptive analyses.

resultsA total of 12 patients with advanced HCC enrolled onto the protocol, and 10 patients had data available for evaluation. The majority were male (10/12) with a median age of 64 (SD 11). Most patients had received sorafenib therapy (9/12) and had varying Child-Pugh classes (A-4, B-6, C-2). Treatment with VF-2 ranged from 1 to 36 weeks with a mean of 12.3 weeks (SD 12). Six patients received 8 weeks of treatment, and 3 patients received 12 or more weeks of treatment. For patients that received at least 4 weeks of treatment, the average AFP value stabilized during the first 4 weeks of treatment. Two patients experienced an AFP decrease of >30%, approximately 37 and 40% decreases at the nadir. One patient had stable disease of 9 months. Major side effects were fever, fatigue, rash, and local injection site reaction of swelling, redness, and tenderness.

conclusionThis case series of advanced HCC indicates that mistletoe extract VF-2 may have potential biological activity against HCC for selected patients. Research is needed to identify the active compound and predictive markers of response.

Indexed as

FraxiniHepatocellular carcinomaMistletoe lectin

Identifiers

PMID33776708
PMCPMC7983630
OpenAlexW3137308353

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

None linked

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.