Mistletoe as a treatment for cancer

doi:10.1136/bmj.39055.493958.80

BMJ 2006;333:1282-1283 (23 December), doi:10.1136/bmj.39055.493958.80

Editorials

Mistletoe as a treatment for cancer

Has no proved benefit, and can cause harm

The first 150 words of the full text of this article appear below.

Most doctors in the United Kingdom will be surprisedto learn from a case reported in this week's BMJ of a use formistletoe (Viscum album) that has nothing to do with Christmas.¹Some patients with cancer inject themselves with extract ofmistletoe in the hope of improving their condition. In continentalEurope, at least 30 different mistletoe preparations are available.In Europe, most cancer patients use such extracts, at a totalexpense of about £30m ( ${euro}$ 45m; $59m) each year,² and in Germanythe insurance system pays for this treatment.

A Google search (20 November 2006) showed that145 000 websites promote or mention mistletoe as a treatmentfor cancer. This much publicity may mean that many cancer patientsin the UK will try mistletoe in the future or ask their doctorabout it. It is therefore timely to discuss the value of mistletoeas an anticancer . . . [Full text of this article]

Edzard Ernst, professor of complementary medicine (Edzard.Ernst@pms.ac.uk)

¹ Department of Complementary Medicine, Peninsula Medical School, Universities of Exeter and Plymouth, Exeter EX2 4NT

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Rapid Responses:

Read all Rapid Responses

A General Practitioner's Experience: Stefan A Geider
bmj.com, 23 Dec 2006 [Full text]
How to try getting importance: Reinhard W. SCHWARZ, MD
bmj.com, 26 Dec 2006 [Full text]
Evidence is not substitute for intuition � both may empower the healing art: Eran Ben-Arye
bmj.com, 25 Dec 2006 [Full text]
Evidence is no substitute for fairness: Stephan Quentin
bmj.com, 31 Dec 2006 [Full text]
Missed opportunity: Gene S Feder
bmj.com, 3 Jan 2007 [Full text]
A patient's response: S Mitchell
bmj.com, 4 Jan 2007 [Full text]
Let's be fair: Mark J Hancock
bmj.com, 6 Jan 2007 [Full text]
Cum hoc, ergo propter hoc: Gunver S Kienle
bmj.com, 10 Jan 2007 [Full text]
Use of mistletoe: Bad Clinical Practice in cancer: Michael Stimpel
bmj.com, 15 Jan 2007 [Full text]
Iscador (mistletoe) continues to be popular: Dr. Herbert H. Nehrlich
bmj.com, 16 Jan 2007 [Full text]
A patient's response part 2: S Mitchell
bmj.com, 19 Jan 2007 [Full text]
Mistletoe after Christmas - still controversial: Rainer Stange, et al.
bmj.com, 23 Jan 2007 [Full text]
Effect of Mistletoe on Cervical cancer (n =1): S Sundar
bmj.com, 16 Jul 2007 [Full text]