gms | German Medical Science

Background and Aim: Viscum album L. extracts (VA) are frequently used in integrative oncology to enhance health-related quality of life (HRQL). Several studies have articulated the potential relevance of the sense of coherence for cancer patients and a central aspect of well-being is associated with feeling warm or cold. Therefore, previously a sense of coherence questionnaire (ICS), which considers a score for thermo coherence was developed. As breast cancer patients are frequently deficient in achieving thermal comfort, the aim of the study was to evaluate data on the effectiveness of add-on VA on thermoregulation in breast cancer patients.

Methods: Primary non-metastasized breast cancer patients were diagnosed in a German certified Breast Cancer Center. At first diagnosis before onset of therapy (T0) and 6 months later (T1), the ICS-questionnaire was administered to these patients and total-ICS as well as subscales of thermo coherence were evaluated.

Results and Discussion: In total, 128 breast cancer patients were integrated in this study. 81 patients received standard therapy alone and 47 additional VA-treatments. Significant changes for the thermo coherence score were observed at T1 in relation to T0. Add-on VA was associated with a considerable increase of internal coherence, particularly the thermo coherence in anti-hormonal (d=0.78; p(d) = 0.05*) and chemotherapy (d = 0.96 with p(d) < 0.01**) -treated patients. In contrast, a significant decline of the thermo coherence score was obtained for patients receiving chemotherapy alone (d = 0.70 with p(d) = 0.02*). The VA associated improvement of thermoregulation as shown in the present study may contribute to an enhancement of HRQL.

Conclusions: In the present study it is shown that add-on VA seems to be a well-suited option to harmonize thermal discomfort symptoms in breast cancer patients, treated with standard therapy.