Treatment of glioblastoma with herbal medicines.

BACKGROUND: In the latest years, a lot of research studies regarding the usage of active agents from plants in the treatment of tumors have been published, but there is no data about successful usage of herbal remedies in the treatment of glioblastoma in humans. METHODS: The phytotherapy involved five types of herbal medicine which the subjects took in the form of tea, each type once a day at regular intervals. Three patients took herbal medicine along with standard oncological treatment, while two patients applied for phytotherapy after completing medical treatment. The composition of herbal medicine was modified when necessary, which depended on the results of the control scans using the nuclear magnetic resonance technique and/or computed tomography. RESULTS: Forty-eight months after the introduction of phytotherapy, there were no clinical or radiological signs of the disease, in three patients; in one patient, the tumor was reduced and his condition was stable, and one patient lived for 48 months in spite of a large primary tumor and a massive recurrence, which developed after the treatment had been completed. CONCLUSIONS: The results achieved in patients in whom tumor regression occurred exclusively through the use of phytotherapy deserve special attention. In order to treat glioblastoma more effectively, it is necessary to develop innovative therapeutic strategies and medicines that should not be limited only to the field of conventional medicine. The results presented in this research paper are encouraging and serve as a good basis for further research on the possibilities of phytotherapy in the treatment of glioblastoma.

TREATMENT OF PROGRESSION OF DIFFUSE ASTROCYTOMA BY HERBAL MEDICINE: CASE REPORT.

BACKGROUND: The paper presents the results of the use of phytotherapy in a 33-year-old woman who, after finishing the oncological treatment of diffuse astrocytoma, had tumour progression. MATERIAL AND METHODS: Phytotherapy was introduced after the tumour had progressed. It consisted of 4 types of herbal medicine which the subject was taking in form of tea once a day at regular intervals. The patient started phytotherapy along with temozolomide, which was the only oncological treatment she was under after the tumour had progressed. Following the finished chemotherapy, the patient continued the treatment with herbal medicine only. She regularly took phytotherapy without interruption and to the fullest extent for 30 months, and the results of treatment were monitored by periodic scanning using nuclear magnetic resonance technique. RESULTS: The control scanning that was conducted after the end of combined treatment with temozolomide and phytotherapy showed tumour regression. The patient continued with phytotherapy after finishing chemotherapy and, during the following 24 months, it was the sole treatment option. In that period, the regression of the tumour continued, until a control examination 30 months after the introduction of phytotherapy showed no clinical and radiological signs of tumour. CONCLUSION: The results presented in this research paper clearly indicate the potential of phytotherapy in the treatment of some types of brain tumours. A complete regression of tumour following the treatment with nothing but herbal medicine offers support for such claim. Future research should demonstrate the effectiveness of phytotherapy, as a supplementary form of brain tumour treatment, and the results of this research should be compared with the existing information on the effectiveness of the protocols currently used in the treatment of these types of tumour.

The influence of phytotherapy on prolactin level in macroprolactinoma patients.

The study aims at demonstrating the efficiency of phytotherapy in regulation of prolactin levels in patients diagnosed with pituitary macroprolactinoma. The study made use of workup outcomes submitted by treating healthcare facilities where the patients were first diagnosed with macroprolactinomas based on diagnostic imaging (MRI and/or CT), laboratory workup, and hormone status estimation. The data in reference served as the baseline for a comparative follow-up of phytotherapeutic efficiency in terms of comparison of medical data obtained prior to phytotherapy and those submitted following herbal remedy use. The study displays the results of a five-year follow-up of macroprolactinoma patients undergoing phytotherapy. In well-responding patients, the benefit of phytotherapy in terms of prolactin level putdown can be seen 3-5 months following the phytotherapy commencement. A special attention should be paid to the favourable results obtained with patients who chose to resort to phytotherapy only. The primary outcome measure used to monitor the efficiency of the administered phytotherapy was prolactin level determined prior to, during the course of, and following phytotherapy. Implementation of phytotherapy to the effect of prolactin level regulation in patients diagnosed with macroprolactinoma, represents a completely novel therapeutic approach. The majority of the diseased resorted to phytotherapy once they were left out of any other therapeutic option offered by their treating healthcare facilities. This fact gives a substantial rise to the significance of the results presented herein and justifies the role of phytotherapy in macroprolactinoma-induced hyperprolactinaemia treatment.

The influence of phytotherapy on macroprolactinoma size.

The study aims at demonstrating the efficiency of phytotherapy in macroprolactinoma downsizing. The comparison of phytotherapeutic (PT) efficiency leant on medical records submitted by the patients prior to the PT launch, indicating the diagnosis established based on the outcome of the nuclear magnetic resonance imaging (NMRI) and/or computed tomography (CT) of the affected site and bringing the results of field-of-vision examination and hormonal status determination. The insight into the documentation in reference provided the information on tumour size and prolactin levels. The data in reference were compared against medical records submitted following phytotherapy completion. This study brings the results of a five-year investigation into the influence of phytotherapy on the size of macroprolactinomas. In patients responsive to this kind of treatment, tumour regression was witnessed within 6 months of herbal remedy use. A substantial tumour downsizing was accompanied by vision restitution;namely, in a number of cases, sight impairments are the first indicators of tumour presence. The basic parameters used for phytotherapeutic efficiency estimation and follow-up were the size of the tumour and the state of the field-of-vision, established both prior to and following phytotherapy. The results of the study presented herein unequivocally demonstrated the efficiency of phytotherapy in macroprolactinoma tumour mass downsizing, providing therefore solid grounds for the implementation of phytotherapy as a novel treatment modality of this tumour cluster.