While various mind-body and other nonconventional therapies continue to be explored as a way to prevent and treat cancer, various less credible alternative treatments have been proven to be ineffective and, in some cases, even life-threatening. Described below are some of the more widely publicized treatments for cancer that are not medically proven and should be avoided. In evaluating potential cancer treatments, the National Cancer Institute recommends that patients and their families consider the following questions: - Has the treatment been evaluated in clinical trials? A reference librarian can help patients interested in a particular treatment find out whether it has been reported in reputable scientific journals.
- Do the practitioners of an alternative treatment claim that the medical community is trying to keep their cure from the public? No one genuinely committed to finding better ways to treat a disease would knowingly keep an effective treatment a secret or try to suppress such treatment.
- Does the treatment rely on nutritional or diet therapy as its main focus? At this time, there is no known dietary cure for cancer. In other words, there is no evidence that diet alone can get rid of cancerous cells in the body.
- Do those who endorse the treatment claim that it is harmless and painless and that it produces no unpleasant side effects? Because treatments for cancer must be very powerful, they frequently have unpleasant side effects.
- Does the treatment have a "secret formula" that only a small group of practitioners can use? Scientists who believe they have developed an effective treatment routinely publish their results in reputable journals so that they can be evaluated by other researchers.
Anti-neoplastins are the name for a group of peptides (short chains of amino acids) and certain amino acids that occur naturally in the body. They are believed to correct injured and cancerous cells, says physician-biochemist Stanislaw Burzyniski, M.D., of Houston, Texas, who believes that cancer patients have a drastic shortage of these compounds in their blood, only about 3 percent of what a healthy person has. Dr. Burzyniski named them "anti-neoplastins" because they supposedly stop neoplastic (cancerous) cells. Dr. Burzyniski says that the anti-neoplastins are shed in human urine and he had extracted them from that source. Now, most are chemically synthesized. Dr. Burzyniski continues to do studies to support a new drug application he filed with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). His method is considered controversial and unproven by mainstream oncologists. This therapy involves ingesting a combination of herbs, applying an herbal cream on the abdomen and a daily regimen of enemas. It supposedly loosens and cleans out the build-up of dried, toxic material from the colon walls, thus allowing the body to get more nutrients and return to health. It is often done in conjunction with a regimen of consuming nothing but fruit and vegetable juices for several days and has long been, in one form or another, a staple component of the traditional naturopathic treatment protocol. Medical doctors say there is no basis for the theory. This chemical solvent, which is medically approved for treatment of interstitial cystitis, is offered in injectable form by many "underground" cancer clinics. It has been studied by mainstream researchers and found to have no tumor-fighting effect. Injections of DMSO can cause liver and kidney damage. This herbal tea, developed by the late Rene M. Caisse, a Canadian nurse, is available in health food stores in both an injectable and an oral form. Although the primary herbs in the tea have been shown to have some anti-tumor activity, no independent, scientifically sound studies have shown the combination to have any anti-cancer effect. The late Max Gerson, M.D., developed cancer therapies involving a diet of fresh fruit and vegetable juices, and juice extract from fresh calves' liver, as well as several coffee enemas. In recent years, other alternative therapies and ingredients have been added as well. Dr. Gerson offered the therapy in New York until his death in 1959. Today, his therapies are available at the Gerson Healing Center in Sedona, Ariz., and the Hospital Meridien in Tijuana, Mexico. The therapies have not been shown to be an effective means of cancer treatment according to the National Cancer Institute. This is a combination of dietary restrictions, supplements, and detoxification by means of coffee enemas. It has no proven effectiveness as a cancer treatment. Promoted by naturopath Harry Hoxey from a formula his great-grandfather developed after watching a cancerous horse graze on various herbs, this treatment consists of a tonic and some caustic external pastes for burning away skin cancers. No reviews of patient records at the Hoxey clinic (now called the Bio Medical Center and located in Tijuana, Mexico) have shown the treatment to be effective. This readily available chemical has been studied by mainstream researchers. Clinical trials do not support the claims that it shrinks tumors and halts the "wasting" syndrome that cancer patients often suffer. Involves injection of blood proteins. Found to be ineffective. A synthetic form of a chemical that's found in apricot pits, apple seeds and bitter almonds. Although widely publicized in the past, laetrile isn't effective in fighting cancer and, when taken in high doses, can cause cyanide poisoning. Laetrile was evaluated as an anti-cancer agent at the Mayo Clinic. A partial response to the therapy was seen in 1 of 162 patients treated. Also sometimes referred to as "metabolic therapy," "fresh cell therapy" and "cellular therapy," it involves injection or ingestion of specially processed animal fetus or embryo tissue. The therapy was developed in the 1930s by Paul Niehans, M.D., a Swiss physician who claimed it helped to rejuvenate people and to fight cancer. It is offered in Mexican cancer clinics and some now include fetal cells from sharks. But people have suffered fatal immunological reactions to the treatment. It has no known value in treating cancer. Primarily a vegetarian and lactose-free diet with an emphasis on whole grains. Possibly has some cancer-preventive properties, but has not been proven to stop or reverse cancer. Some researchers have called for controlled trials. This treatment involves taking massive doses of vitamins and minerals. Some of these nutrients are believed to have a cancer-protective effect, but studies have failed to show that megavitamin therapy can reverse cancer. Indeed, taking more than the recommended doses of some vitamins may not be safe. Sometimes called a "detoxification" diet, it's one of many variations of the naturopathic cleansing diet of fresh fruits, vegetables, juices and water, often combined with any number of other treatments and substances, such as enemas or saunas and hot baths. It is said to improve the patient's metabolism and rid the body of stored-up wastes that "clog" the systems involved in assimilation of food and nutrients and the elimination of wastes, but no controlled studies have tested these therapies. An extract of mistletoe combined with small amounts of various metals and various bacteria is called "Iscador." It is manufactured in Germany. Rudolf Steiner, Ph.D., who died in 1925, believed it would help resolve "imbalances" in the body that are responsible for cancer. Studies have not upheld the claim. French biologist Gaston Naessens, who now lives in Canada, developed a nitrogen-enriched solution of camphor known as "714X" that he injects into patients daily for 21 days, in three rounds with a three-day rest between each. He claims the treatment strengthens the immune system and helps rid the body of cancer or other debilitating disease. The therapy is on the American Cancer Society's list of "unproven methods." Naessens was prosecuted twice in France for promoting other cancer "cures" that did not work. Biochemist William Lane, Ph.D., authored the best-selling "Sharks Don't Get Cancer," which promoted the theory that shark cartilage contains a substance that inhibits the growth of blood vessels needed for cancer to spread. Shark cartilage is sold in health food stores. A small study sponsored by the Cancer Treatment Research Foundation on cancer patients with a life expectancy of fewer than 12 weeks found that shark cartilage was ineffective. Other studies may be under way. German physician Hans Nieper, M.D., prescribes mineral supplements, including zinc orotate, to cancer patients. Nieper contends that zinc, combined with beta carotene, stimulates thymus function and activates enzymes within lymphocytes that causes them to digest cancer cells. Without the zinc, he says, the cancer-killing tendency doesn't get switched on. There are few data on the validity of Dr. Nieper's theory. Last Updated: 10/16/2002
The Johns Hopkins University 1996-2003. All rights reserved. This information is not intended to provide advice on personal medical matters, nor is it intended to be a substitute for consultation.
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