For the scientific societies and the organizers of the 6th mistletoe symposium (from left): Prof. Dr. Hans Becker (St. Ingbert), Dr. Gero Leneweit (Niefern-Öschelbronn), Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Blaschek (Kiel), Prof. Dr. Reinhild Klein (Tübingen), Dr. Rainer Scheer (Niefern-Öschelbronn), Prof. Dr. Harald Matthes (Berlin), Prof. Dr. Wolfgang Kreis (Erlangen). (Foto: G. Schorer)

7th Mistletoe Symposium

More than 110 researchers and physicians from various scientific disciplines and therapy directions from Germany and abroad participated in the 7th Mistletoe Symposium, which took place from 7th to 9th November 2019 in the European Academy Otzenhausen. Around 60 scientific papers were presented that reported on the state of mistletoe in tumor therapy, basic research and clinical practice.

The topics were wide-ranging (see program): They ranged from biology and pharmacy to preclinical with the extension of immunological knowledge to therapy, reports of doctors on special courses of therapy and clinical trials, as well as a new systematic review of existing clinical trials. It has been reported that the energy metabolism in the mistletoe plant follows unique pathways that are among its exceptional biochemical properties. The clinical part focused on bronchial and breast cancers with a strong focus on psycho-oncological aspects. Another focus was checkpoint inhibitors and modern immunological therapies, with which mistletoe remedies are used together.

The abstracts are published in a special issue of the journal phytomedicine. They are freely available online. You can also request a copy while stocks last. Further information can be found in the subfolder abstracts.

The symposium not only gave an overview, but also new impulses and a motivation boost for further research. It is a forum for shared discourse that combines biological, pharmaceutical and clinical expertise to harness synergies and be the driving force, generating further studies and approaches in mistletoe research.

The organisers hope that in future the Mistletoe Symposia will prove to be a forum for scientific exchange and discussion of questions relating to safe and effective use of mistletoe in tumour therapy between professional associations and representatives not only of complementary, but also of conventional oncology.

This fruitful exchange will continue in 2023 at the 8th Mistletoe Symposium.

Poster Awards

At this symposium, for the first time the participants had the opportunity to evaluate the posters during the poster sessions. In this way the 3 best posters were determined.

Received the 1st prize

Poster P28: Three cases of remission of actinic keratosis, basal-cell carcinoma and squamous-cell cercinona respectively by topical therapy with Viscum album, Resina 10%, Unguentum

Dorothea Schläpfer, Konrad Urech

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2019.09.093

Received the 2nd prize

Poster P11: Absence of herb-drug interactions of mistletoe with tamoxifen metabolite (E / Z) -endoxifen and cytochrome P450 3A4 / 5 and 2D6 in vitro

Ulrike Weissenstein, Matthias Kröz, Mouhssin Oufir et al.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2019.09.116

Received the 3rd prize

Poster P03: The effects of willow mistletoe preparations on human tumor cell lines in vitro

Jennifer E. Felenda, Kim Gruber, Severina Pacifico et al.

https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phymed.2019.09.108

The award ceremony took place at the end of the symposium.

More reports can you find here.

Podiumsdiscussion (Foto: R. Schweigert)

Conference center (Foto: R. Schweigert)

Dr. Rainer Scheer, 14th January 2020