Shrinkage of Gastric Cancer in an Elderly Patient Who Received Rhus verniciflua Stokes Extract

Background: Many studies have suggested that the flavonoids from Rhus verniciflua Stokes (RVS) are anticancer agents, but a few clinical studies have reported on this topic. Patient and method: We present here the case of a female patient (82 years old) with an adenocarcinoma of the stomach that was first diagnosed via an abdomen computed tomography (CT) scan and endoscopic biopsy. Any conventional therapy such as surgical resection was not performed because of her advanced age. She wanted to receive alternative care, and so she was exclusively treated with standardized RVS extract. Course of therapy and results: Daily therapy with 900 mg of orally administered RVS extract was initiated on September 25, 2006. Five (5) months later, the gastroscopy and abdomen CT scan showed a marked decrease in the polypoid mass at the mid body and a slight decrease in the flat elevated lesion at the prepyloric antrum, as compared to tumor sizes on the first gastroscopy and abdomen CT scan. She is alive and doing well at the present time (April 2009). Conclusions: We suggest that RVS extract could be a candidate for a natural agent that induces selective apoptosis and inhibits cell growth in gastric adenocarcinoma.