A Randomized Study of Complementary Supportive Medicine With Aloe Arborescens Vs Aloe Plus Myrrh In Metastatic Solid Tumor Patients Who Did Not Respond To The Standard Anticancer Therapies
Giusy Messina, Serenella Scarpa, Franco Rovelli, Massimo Colciago, Nicoletta Merli, Paolo Lissoni
The recent advances in the clinical application of the complementary medicine to cancer therapy have
shown that some plants may potentially exert an antitumor activity due to the action of specific antitumor
molecules, rather than a simple palliative effects. Then, the aim of the complementary medicine would
have to be not only the improvement of the quality of life, but also the increase in the survival time.
Alone and Myrrh represent some of the potential antitumor plants. On these bases, a randomized study
was planned with Aloe arborescens solution alone or with Aloe arborescens plus Myrrh solution (60 to
40%) in patients with metastatic solid tumours, which did not respond to the conventional anticancer
therapies.
Both agents were orally given at 10 ml twice/day. The study included 60 consecutive patients suffering
from different solid tumour histotypes. Both therapies induced a disease control (DC) and the percentage
of DC obtained in patients concomitant treated with Aloe plus Myrrh was significantly higher than
that achieved in patients treated with Aloe alone. These preliminary results justify further clinical
studies with potential antitumor plants to achieve a control of the neoplastic growth rather than a simple
improvement in the clinical status of patients.
