Reducing Malignant Ascites and Long-Term Survival in a Patient with Recurrent Gastric Cancer Treated with a Combination of Docetaxel and Mistletoe Extract

Abstract

Recurrent gastric cancer with peritoneal seeding is associated with poor overall survival. A 71-year-old man with advanced gastric cancer underwent radical total gastrectomy (stage IIIb, T4b N1 M0). Abdomino-pelvic computed tomography performed 7 months after surgery revealed increased ascites with enhanced peritoneal thickening. He was diagnosed with peritoneal seeding and received second-line chemotherapy (irinotecan). However, he refused chemotherapy due to the side effects (general weakness, nausea, and vomiting) after 1 cycle. He started receiving alternative therapy with Viscum album extract (VAE) (mistletoe) instead of chemotherapy. Malignant ascites gradually decreased after mistletoe therapy. So we started third-line chemotherapy (docetaxel) with VAE. The patient achieved good health with complete response postoperatively 32 months after combination treatment and survived over 60 months after surgery without disease progression. We report a case of recurrent gastric cancer that was successfully treated with a combination of docetaxel monotherapy and long-term mistletoe extract treatment.