"Use of Iscador (European Mistletoe) in Cancer Treatment," reports on the results of an extensive, long-term, prospective trial involving over ten thousand cancer patients in Germany. It appears in Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine, a respected, five year old journal and the largest-circulation peer reviewed CAM journal. Dr. Ronald Grossarth-Maticek of the Institute for Preventive Medicine in Heidelberg, Germany is the lead author of the study. The study's abstract reports that the results are "Survival time of patients treated with Iscador was longer for all types of cancer studied." The conclusion: "Iscador treatment can achieve a clinically relevant prolongation of survival time of cancer patients." David Riley, MD, editor of the journal, commented "Mistletoe is the most commonly used cancer drug in Germany today. There is mounting basic science and clinical evidence for the efficacy of mistletoe. This is a far-reaching, landmark study with significant results." According to the study, "The primary question was as follows: Does Iscador treatment influence the survival time of cancer patients?" The answer is clearly that it does. The study ran from 1971 through 1988 with follow-up on patients through 1998. In the first part of the study, 396 patients who had been treated with the mistletoe extract were matched with 396 individuals who had not received mistletoe treatment. The difference in survival time overall was "highly significant," with mistletoe-treated patients surviving for a mean of 4.23 years after inclusion in the study versus 3.05 years for the control group — a difference of 40 percent. Despite the generally negative comments about mistletoe by sources like Cassileth and others since its use by Somers became known, the journal article (which was completed before March 28 and does not mention Somers and mistletoe) notes, "The described [positive] results of mistletoe treatment confirm the results obtained in earlier clinical studies on mistletoe; in most of these studies, the survival time of mistletoe-treated patients are superior to that in (usually historical) control groups." "Survival time of patients treated with Iscador was longer for all types of cancer studied." The final conclusion of the study: "Mistletoe extracts, which contain a complex of oncologically relevant active substances and exert a variety of anticancer effects, appear to prolong survial times in patients with various tumor types. . . The study findings support the claim of anthroposophical medicine that mistletoe therapy is generally effective for treating cancer, irrespective of tumor type." Thanks to Peter Chowka and naturalhealthline.com Inteview Remember we are NOT Doctors and have NO medical training. This site is like an Encylopedia - there are many pages, many links on many topics. Support our work with any size DONATION - see left side of any page - for how to donate. You can help raise awareness of CAM.