Intralesional and subcutaneous application of Viscum album L. (European mistletoe) extract in cervical carcinoma in situ
Reynel, María B. Pharm; Villegas, Yván MD; Kiene, Helmut MD; Werthmann, Paul G. MD; Kienle, Gunver S. MD
Abstract
Rationale: Carcinoma in situ (CIS) of the uterine cervix is a premalignant condition of squamous epithelium. The standard treatments are excision and ablation procedures; for women with positive margins, hysterectomy is recommended.
Patient concerns: A 47-year-old Peruvian woman with recurrent candidal vaginitis had been diagnosed with colpocervicitis and squamous metaplasia 8 years ago, which were not treated.
Diagnoses: The patient was diagnosed with CIS after cervical conization procedure. She refused radical hysterectomy and opted for integrative medicine treatment.
Interventions: She was treated with intralesional and subcutaneous Viscum album L. extract (VAE) injections. VAE is a widely used herbal cancer treatment with cytotoxic, apoptogenic, and immunological effects, but it has not been investigated in cervical CIS.
Outcomes: Ending month 5 of treatment, complete remission of cervical CIS was observed. The patient is still in remission after 30 months (until publication).
Lessons: This is the first report on complete remission of cervical CIS after intralesional and subcutaneous injection with VAE. Prospective studies should evaluate to what degree the treatment effect is reproducible.
Abbreviations: CIN = cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, CIS = carcinoma in situ, HPV = human papillomavirus, IL = interleukin, ML = mistletoe lectins, Pap = Papanicolaou, VAE = Viscum album L. extract.
Keywords: case report, cervical carcinoma in situ, cervical intraepithelial neoplasia, complete remission, european mistletoe, fraxini, Viscum album L
Citation: Reynel, M., Villegas, Y., Kiene, H., Werthmann, P. G., & Kienle, G. S. (2018). Intralesional and subcutaneous application of Viscum album L. (European mistletoe) extract in cervical carcinoma in situ: A CARE compliant case report. Medicine, 97(48), e13420. https://doi.org/10.1097/MD.0000000000013420