02 Case studies in cancer

Background: Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (CSCC) is a common locally invasive skin cancer which rarely metastasises. First-line treatmentis surgical excision, which is curative in most cases. Viscum album extract (VAE) is a widely used herbal cancer treatment with cytotoxic, apoptogenic and immunological effects, but has not been investigated in CSCC.

Case presentation: A 78-year-old patient with histologically diagnosed CSCC refused surgical excision and was treated with peri-lesional high-dose VAE. After 10 months of treatment the CSCC had disappeared clinically. The patient has been recurrence-free for 4 years.

Conclusion: The presented case shows clinical response of a CSCC to high-dose peri-lesional VAE injections. Further research on VAE in CSCC is warranted.

Keywords: Keywords: Mistletoe, Viscum, Cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma, Case report

Citation: Werthmann, P. G., Sträter, G., Friesland, H., & Kienle, G. S. (2013). Durable response of cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma following high-dose peri-lesional injections of Viscum album extracts – A case report. Phytomedicine, 20(3), 324–327. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2012.11.001