Complete Remission and Long-term Survival of a Patient with a Diffuse Large B-cell Lymphoma Under Viscum album Extracts After Resistance to R-CHOP: A Case Report.

BACKGROUND: A nodular lymphocyte predominant Hodgkin's lymphoma (NLPHL) is a lymphoproliferative neoplasm with a fair prognosis, but the possibility of a malignant transformation into a diffuse large B-cell lymphoma (DLBCL) is high. DLBCL progresses aggressively. Introduction of rituximab into therapy had led to improved outcomes. The use of Viscum album extracts (VAE) in cancer is established, but their application in lymphoma are rare.

CASE PRESENTATION: A 65-year-old patient was diagnosed with DLBCL stage IIa with splenomegaly, transformed from a NLPHL, after a 30-year history of repeatedly enlarged inguinal lymph nodes. The patient initially rejected chemotherapy. After his tumor pain increased, he accepted the consecutive therapies bendamustine plus vincristine plus prednisolone, trofosfamide, and rituximab plus cyclophosphamide plus hydroxydaunorubicin plus vincristine plus prednisone (R-CHOP), inducing only a slight regression of the splenic lesions. VAE was additionally applied to R-CHOP. Five months after termination of chemotherapy - under continued VAE therapy in increasing dosage- regression of paraaortal lesions was found. The patient fully recovered under continuous VAE application and is in ongoing complete remission and in a good state of health 17 years after the initial diagnosis.

CONCLUSION: As complete remission of lymphoproliferative disorders after VAE treatment has been previously reported, further investigations of VAE in lymphoma seem highly worthwhile.