Cell biological and immunopharmacological investigations on the use of mistletoe lectin I (ML-I)

Abstract

Despite undeniable progress in modern surgical oncology, the development of new cytotoxic drugs and advances in molecular medicine resulting in the discovery of new oncogenes, growth factors and immunomodulatory cytokines, little progress has been made in the overall prognosis of most common cancers. While it can be relatively easy to treat primary tumours with surgery or radiotherapy, no therapeutically successful strategies exist to treat metastases. This lack of treatment strategies for metastases is responsible for the generally bleak prognosis of patients suffering from breast, colon or ovarian cancer and this has not improved over the last 50 to 100 years. Hence it is not astonishing that the majority of patients suffering from cancer demand some “alternative” or adjuvant therapy often based on phytotherapy [10]. From all the complementary medical concepts for the treatment of cancer, mistletoe extracts have attracted the most widespread interest and this form of adjuvant therapy is probably the most likely “alternative” therapy which — on the basis of scientific publications — is to become accepted by orthodox medicine [15].