Mistletoe Extract in Patients With Advanced Pancreatic Cancer A Double-Blind, Randomized, Placebo-Controlled Trial (MISTRAL)Show others and affiliations
2024 (English)In: Deutsches Ärzteblatt International, E-ISSN 1866-0452, Vol. 121, no 11, p. 347-354
Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en]
Background: Patients with advanced pancreatic cancer have limited survival and few treatment options. We studied whether mistletoe extract (ME), in addition to comprehensive oncological treatment and palliative care, prolongs overall survival (OS) and improves health-related quality of life (HRQoL). Methods: The double-blind, placebo-controlled MISTRAL trial was conducted in Swedish oncology centers. The main inclusion criteria were advanced exocrine pancreatic cancer and Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0–2. The subjects were randomly assigned to ME (n=143) or placebo (n=147) and were stratified by study site and by eligibility (yes/no) for palliative chemotherapy (June 2016–December 2021). ME or placebo was injected subcutaneously three times a week for nine months. The primary endpoint was overall survival (OS); one of the secondary endpoints was the HRQoL dimension global health/ QoL (EORTC–QLQ–C30), as assessed at seven time points over nine months. Trial registration: EudraCT 2014–004552–64, NCT02948309 Results: No statistically significant benefit of adding ME to standard treatment was seen with respect to either OS or global health/ QoL. The adjusted hazard ratio for OS was 1.13 [0.89; 1.44], with a median survival time of 7.8 and 8.3 months for ME and placebo, respectively. The figures for the HRQoL dimension “global health/QoL” were similar in the two groups (p=0.86). The number, severity, and outcome of the reported adverse events were similar as well, except for more common local skin reactions at ME injection sites (66% vs. 1%). Conclusion ME is unlikely to have a clinically significant effect on OS or the HRQoL dimension global health/QoL when administered in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer in addition to comprehensive cancer care. © 2024 Deutscher Arzte-Verlag GmbH. All rights reserved.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Deutscher Arzte-Verlag GmbH , 2024. Vol. 121, no 11, p. 347-354
Keywords [en]
Adult, Aged, Double-Blind Method, Female, Humans, Male, Middle Aged, Mistletoe, Palliative Care, Pancreatic Neoplasms, Plant Extracts, Quality of Life, Sweden, Treatment Outcome, gemcitabine, glucocorticoid, oxaliplatin, paclitaxel, plant extract, Article, cancer chemotherapy, cancer therapy, chemoradiotherapy, clinical decision making, controlled study, double blind procedure, drug safety, electronic health record, epigastric pain, European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer Quality of Life Questionnaire Core 30, febrile neutropenia, follow up, histology, hospitalization, human, hyperthermia, immune response, immunosuppressive treatment, innate immunity, life expectancy, lung function, major clinical study, median survival time, mortality, overall survival, palliative therapy, pancreas cancer, pancreas metastasis, patient safety, questionnaire, randomized controlled trial, sensitivity analysis, tumor regression, urticaria, clinical trial, drug therapy, multicenter study, pancreas tumor, procedures
National Category
Cancer and Oncology
Identifiers
URN: urn:nbn:se:liu:diva-211890DOI: 10.3238/arztebl.m2024.0080Scopus ID: 2-s2.0-85199290625OAI: oai:DiVA.org:liu-211890DiVA, id: diva2:1940799
Note
Funding agencies: Department of Oncology Endowment Fund at Karolinska University Hospital, Cancer Research Funds of Radiumhemmet, Gyllenberg Foundation, EkhagaFoundation, Dagmar Ferbs Memorial Fund, Cancer Research Foundation inNorthern Sweden, The Sjöberg Foundation. Iscador AG, Switzerland, manufactured and supplied both ME and placebo and post-trial ME free ofcharge.
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