Diagnosis and Treatment of Patients Utilizing Complementary Medicine at a Tertiary Referral Hospital in Eastern Switzerland.

BACKGROUND: In 2012, the Cantonal Hospital of St. Gallen, a tertiary referral hospital in Eastern Switzerland, opened its Center for Integrative Medicine (ZIM). This study aims to characterize disease and treatment characteristics of adult patients treated at the ZIM. PATIENTS AND METHODS: For all new patients, physicians at the ZIM completed questionnaires on patients' diagnoses and treatments. Descriptive statistics for categorical variables were reported as percentages. Univariable logistic regression analysis was used to assess the data. The analysis was performed with the statistical software package SPSS (IBM). RESULTS: From 2015 to 2020, 4,592 new patients were seen at the ZIM. The most common diagnosis in the supergroups was cancer (48%), followed by pain diagnoses (33%). Chronic pain as a subgroup was represented the most in patients (29%). Anthroposophical medication was the most commonly prescribed therapy, in 74% of patients with cancer and 73% with pain diagnosis. The latter was associated with the prescription of eurythmy therapy (OR: 3.80, p < 0.001), traditional Chinese medicine (OR: 3.34, p < 0.001), or art therapy (OR: 5.15, p < 0.001), whereas mistletoe therapy was the preferred treatment option (OR: 59.0, p < 0.001) for a cancer diagnosis. CONCLUSION AND OUTLOOK: The results will help adapt CM services to patients' needs and provide a good basis for the planning of future services in CM in major hospitals. Further research should be conducted focusing on specific health outcomes.

Complete, Durable Remission of Advanced Hepatocellular Carcinoma under Treatment with Viscum album Extracts: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND: Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer deaths. Early-stage disease is treated with curative intent, but most patients present with advanced HCC, which carries a poor prognosis. Viscum album extracts (VAE) are used by cancer patients as an adjunct treatment or palliation. CASE PRESENTATION: A 51-year-old female presented with relapsing multifocal HCC. She declined palliative treatment and commenced intravenous VAE treatment in conjunction with intravenous hepato-protective L-ornithine-L-aspartate (LOLA). She experienced a significant improvement of life-quality and performance status. After 3 months, a significant regression was noted on computerized tomography, and α-fetoprotein was in normal range. Imaging 11 months later confirmed a complete regression. The VAE and LOLA treatment continues to date. The patient had no other cancer-directed therapy. The regression is sustained for more than 5 years at publication, confirmed by regular imaging and serology. The patient is experiencing an unrestricted quality of life. CONCLUSION: Complete regression of advanced HCC is rare. Responses of HCC to VAE treatment have been reported before. However, this is the first documented case with a complete and durable regression of an HCC under treatment with VAE. Further studies should evaluate VAE treatment in HCC, especially when administered in forms as reported here.