Improvement of Quality of Life in Tumor Patients after an Immunomodulatory Treatment with Standardized Mistletoe Lectin and Arabinoxylan Plant Extracts

Background: In the last decades a special attention has been focused on the role of disturbed immune balance in the behavioral co-morbidities of tumor patients. The prognostic significance of malignant tumor-induced imbalance in the innate immune system is well known. The innate system uses a limited number of Pattern Recognition Receptors (PRR) to recognize conserved Pathogenic Associated Molecular Pattern (PAMP) structures expressed by microbes but not by host. Growing experiences suggest that the improvement of tumor induced disturbance of immune balance by using standardized plant PAMP like preparations goes often together with a better quality of life (QoL). Methods: In this study tumor patients were treated with standardized plant immunomodulators (mistletoe lectin and arabinoxylan) which were shown to activate the type-1 natural immune cells against cancer. After at least a therapy for six months the patients were asked about their QoL using questionnaires. Results: The following answers were received from the 35 patients: Decrease of pains: 17%, improvement of anxiety: 40%, Increase of physical activity: 71%, Improvement of appetite: 66%, Improvement of sleep: 40%, improvement of digestion: 43%, decrease of side effects during oncotherapy: 71%, beneficial judgement of the progress of disease based on clinical findings: 46%. As shown, the most important effects were the improvement of physical activity and decrease of side effects during conventional oncotherapy. Conclusion: Present results may support the relationship between tumor induced disturbance of immune balance and the tumor induced behavioral co-morbidities. Further clinical investigations are necessary to proof this hypothesis.