Everyone Healthy Library
Kaposis Sarcoma
Condition / disease reference page from the Everyone Healthy database.
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Connected health information
Explore this condition in a clear order
Condition overview
Attributes
Commonalityis rare
Incidenceis approximately 1 in 100,000 people
Linked signs and symptoms
10Each sign/symptom opens its own page and links back to related conditions.
Linked drugs / medications
5Medication information is educational only. A doctor or pharmacist should advise whether any medicine is appropriate.
Treatments, therapies and supportive options
17Grouped by treatment type. These are educational database links, not personal treatment recommendations. Evidence labels are shown only where stored in the EH database.
Surgery
2Medical therapy
4Alternative and complementary therapies
4- Cesium Chloride (High pH Therapy, CsCl)Strongly Against(Low Evidence)
- Mistletoe (Iscador, Viscum Album)No Recommendation(Low Evidence)
- Pau Darco (Lapachol, Tabebuia Impetiginosa, Tabebuia Heptaphylla)Strongly Against(Very Low Evidence)
- Pokeweed Antiviral Protein (PAP)Weakly in Favour(Very Low Evidence)
Alternative medicine
3Other supportive options
1Linked diagnostic tests and investigations
2These are pulled from both EH diagnostic-test link tables, including the older large test-link table.
Biological markers/agents
2This visual map shows biological markers/agents reported as increased or decreased with this condition. These are educational relationships only; test results must be interpreted by a qualified clinician because ranges vary by lab, method, age, sex and clinical context.
Often increased
2- Fibrin Split ProductsReference range exampleAll: 0–1 mg/dLLinked diagnostic testsFibrin Degradation Products (FDPs, Fibrin Split Products
- White Blood Cell (WBC)Reference range exampleAdult ( > 16y): 4.5–10.5 million/mL; Adult ( > 16y): 3.2–10 million/mLLinked diagnostic testsWhite Blood Cell (WBC) Count
Often decreased
0No markers in this group.
Introduction / full article
Kaposis Sarcoma
Efficacy of Alternative and Other Treatments According to GRADE* Ranking:
Pokeweed Antiviral Protein (PAP) [1, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15]:
Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present. Warning! All parts of the plant, Pokeweed (Phytolacca Americana), is poisonous and should not be ingested. Thoroughly cooking the plant reduces that toxicity. The effects of the improperly prepared plant include vomiting, diarrhoea, cramps, headache, confusion, convulstions, low blood pressure, heart block and death. Only plant extracts (PAP) or thoroughly prepared plants should be ingested, and even then, under professional medical guidance.
Recommendation: weakly in favor (Laboratory studies show that PAP may hold promise in the treatment of sarcomas, but more clinical trials are needed)
Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence
Pau D'Arco (Lapachol, Tabebuia Impetiginosa, Tabebuia Heptaphylla) [1, 10]:
Please note, this treatment has potentially serious side effects. Some of the chemicals in the plant are known to be toxic. High doses are known to cause liver and kidney. Even at low doses, chemicals in the plant may interfere with blood clotting, causing excess bleeding and anaemia. Pau D'Arco should be avoided, especially by pregnant or breastfeeding women.
Recommendation: Strongly against (Laboratory tests have shown that Pau D'arco can be effective in the treatment of sarcomas. However, further studies are needed on its effect in humans. This, combined with its potentially harmful side effects if taken without supervision from a doctor or pharmacist gives enough reason to avoid this treatment.)
Grade of Evidence: very low quality of evidence
Mistletoe (Iscador, Viscum Album) [2, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9]:
Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It may mildly help with some of the symptoms, and even then has insufficient evidence to back up this claim at present. WARNING: The mistletoe plant should NOT be eaten because it is poisonous. May cause seizures, coma and death. It should only be taken as a purified mistletoe extract, and only in recommended doses.
Recommendation: No recommendation (Studies on the effect of Mistletoe on Kaposis sarcomas have yielded mixed, conflicting results. More research is needed.)
Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence
Cesium Chloride (High pH Therapy, CsCl) [2, 3, 4]:
Please note, this management does NOT treat the condition itself. It has been proposed only as a weak supportive symptomatic support, and even then, has been discounted due life-threatening side effects
Recommendation: Strongly against (Available evidence does not support claims that Cesium Chloride can help prevent or treat Kaposis Sarcoma. In addition, Cesium Chloride can cause several potentially dangerous side effects such as heart arrythmia, seizures, loss of conciousness and electrolyte imbalance. NOT TO BE USED)
Grade of Evidence: low quality of evidence
* www.gradeworkinggroup.org
Summary References
Treatments:
1. http://www.merck.com/mmpe/sec10/ch128/ch128f.html#sec10-ch128-ch128d-1198
2. Ades T, Alteri R, Gansler T, Yeargin P, "Complete Guide to Complimentary & Alternative Cancer Therapies", American Cancer Society, Atlanta USA, 2009
3.http://www.naturalstandard.com/index-abstract.asp?create-abstract=/monographs/herbssupplements/greatercelandine.asp
4. Sartori H. E. "Cesium therapy in cancer patients." Pharmacol Biochem Behav. 1984;21 Suppl 1:11-3.PMID: 6522427.
5. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/mistletoe
6. http://nccam.nih.gov/health/mistletoe/ataglance.htm
7. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002883.htm
8. http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/m/mistle40.html
9. http://www.bmj.com/content/333/7582/1293.full?ijkey=56e55886cc53e0c478801e74001edc3bea1c322e&keytype2=tf_ipsecsha
10. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/pau-d-arco
11. http://www.cbif.gc.ca/pls/pp/ppack.info?p_psn=12&p_type=all&p_sci=sci&p_x=px
12. http://www.pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Phytolacca+americana
13. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/315368
14. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002874.htm
15. http://www.cancer.org/Treatment/TreatmentsandSideEffects/ComplementaryandAlternativeMedicine/HerbsVitaminsandMinerals/pokeweed