An integrative naturopathic oncology approach in metastatic malignant melanoma: two case reports

Malignant melanoma is the most aggressive form of skin cancer, with increasing incidence and a high risk of metastasis and mortality. While conventional treatments such as surgery, immunotherapy, and targeted therapy remain standard, interest in integrative naturopathic oncology approaches is growing.

Case 1 is a woman in her early 60s who was initially diagnosed with malignant melanoma of the lower back in the early 1990s at age 30. This was treated with surgical excision alone, after which she remained in remission for nearly 2 decades. Between 2011 and 2018, she experienced multiple recurrences in the left axilla, paraspinal lumbar tissue, and gastric fundus. She underwent surgery for these recurrences and received stereotactic body radiation therapy (SBRT) to the spinal disease. Following each recurrence, she declined systemic therapy and pursued adjuvant naturopathic treatment cycles including fever-range whole-body hyperthermia (FR-WBHT), modulated electro-hyperthermia (mEHT), intravenous pharmacologic ascorbic acid, mistletoe therapy, repurposed drugs, and oral supplementation. Since her last recurrence in 2018, she has remained in clinical remission, with follow-up PET imaging through 2026 showing no evidence of disease.Case 2 is a 65-year-old woman with recurrent melanoma, with metastases to the brain, liver, and lymph nodes. When no conventional treatment options were offered, she pursued naturopathic therapies including hyperthermia (mEHT, FR-WBHT), intravenous pharmacologic ascorbic acid, mistletoe therapy, repurposed drugs, and targeted supplementation. Imaging revealed gradual reductions in tumor size during treatment, marked by progressive decrease in masses. This resulted in complete remission by 2017, which remains in 2026.

These cases describe prolonged remission temporally associated with multimodal integrative naturopathic oncology care in two cases of metastatic melanoma who also underwent surgery and/or radiotherapy. Alongside surgery, patients received hyperthermia, mistletoe extract, intravenous vitamin C, targeted pharmaceutical agents, and individualized supplementation. Both patients demonstrated regression of metastatic lesions with no detectable disease on imaging. Larger clinical studies are needed to further evaluate the safety and potential therapeutic effects of this approach in melanoma patients.