Disappearance of an advanced adenomatous colon polyp after intratumoural injection with Viscum album (European mistletoe) extract: a case report.

Background & Aim: Extracts of Viscum album (European mistletoe) have immune-stimulatory and cytotoxic eects, with trials showing a well-established eect on the quality of life and prolonged survival in patients with advanced pancreatic cancer. Regression of tumours following intratumoural injection with Viscum album extract has been documented in individual cases. However, its inuence on colon polyps has not been investigated. Case presentation: We present the case of a 78-year-old Caucasian male who had undergone hemi-colectomy for a stage IIIC colon cancer but who refused adjuvant chemotherapy. Five years later a newly detected high- grade dysplasia colon adenoma was discovered; however, the adenoma could not be resected endoscopically and the patient did not consent to surgery. Intratumoural injections with Viscum album L extract (Quercus; Iscador®Qu) were administered twice in an attempt to limit tumour growth. Eight months aer the second intratumoural injection the adenoma had disappeared and biopsy revealed no intraepithelial dysplasia or adenoma. Conclusions: �is is therst report showing complete regression of a colon adenoma aer intratumoural injection with Viscum album extract. Prospective studies should evaluate if the treatment eect is reproducible and if this approach could be a useful pre-operative measure for colon adenomas too large for endoscopic resection.