Positive Health Online

Abstract

LEMANNE and COLLEAGUES, 1. Oncology, Oregon Integrative Oncology; 2. Block Center for Integrative Cancer Treatment, Department of Medicinal Chemistry and Pharmacognosy, College of Pharmacy, University of Illinois at Chicago; 3. Medical Oncology/Hematology, The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; 4. School of Medicine, BIDMC, Harvard Medical School; 5. Director, Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine, National Cancer Institute, US National Institutes of Health report the case of a 48-year-old man who achieved a complete molecular remission 20 years after a diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia while using epigallicatechin-3-gallate, an extract of green tea.

Background

We report the case of a 48-year-old man who achieved a complete molecular remission 20 years after a diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia while using epigallicatechin-3-gallate, an extract of green tea.

Methodology

The patient presented at age 28 with lymphocytosis, mild anaemia, mild thrombocytopenia, and massive splenomegaly, for which a splenectomy was performed. He was then followed expectantly. Over the next two decades, he suffered two symptomatic chronic lymphocytic leukemia-related events. The first occurred twelve years after diagnosis (at age 40) when the patient developed fevers, night sweats, and moderate anaemia. He was diagnosed with autoimmune haemolytic anaemia secondary to chronic lymphocytic leukemia.

Results

The patient declined conventional therapy in favour of a diet, exercise, and supplement regimen, and recovered from the autoimmune haemolytic anaemia though the underlying chronic lymphocytic leukemia remained evident. This is the first published case report of ‘spontaneous’ recovery from secondary autoimmune haemolytic anaemia in an adult. Over the second decade following chronic lymphocytic leukemia diagnosis, serial bone marrow biopsies demonstrated increasing lymphocytosis, with minimal peripheral lymphocytosis. However, twenty years after diagnosis, peripheral lymphocytosis accelerated, with white blood cell counts rising to 55,000/µL. Because the patient continued to refuse conventional therapy, he was treated instead with a supplement regimen that included high doses of epigallocatechin-3-gallate, a green tea extract. Peripheral lymphocytosis resolved. More remarkably, a bone marrow examination, including flow cytometry, showed no evidence of a malignant clone.

Conclusion

Two years later (at age 51), the peripheral blood and bone marrow were without molecular evidence of chronic lymphocytic leukemia or any malignancy. The patient remains well at age 52.

References

Lemanne D1, Block KI2, Kressel BR3, Sukhatme VP4, White JD5. A Case of Complete and Durable Molecular Remission of Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Following Treatment with Epigallocatechin-3-gallate, an Extract of Green Tea. Cureus;7(12): e441. doi: 10.7759/cureus.441. Dec 29 2015.

Comment

The above published research describes case of a 48-year-old man who achieved a complete molecular remission 20 years after a diagnosis of chronic lymphocytic leukemia while using epigallicatechin-3-gallate, an extract of green tea.