Don’t let desperation lead you to try things just because someone advises you to do so. Read the information on this web site thoroughly. We strongly recommend that you avoid any “alternative” cancer treatment discussed on Quackwatch. If you or someone you know investigate or pursue any such treatment, please share your experience with us. Your name and report will remain confidential.
An Overview of “Alternative” Methods
These articles explain how promoters of dubious treatments manipulate the emotions of desperate cancer patients and their families.
- Be Wary of “Alternative” Health Methods
- How Quackery Sells
- How Quackery Harms Cancer Patients
- 25 Ways to Spot Quackery
- “Health Freedom” How It Harms Cancer Patients
- More Ploys That May Fool You
- Why Strong Laws Are Needed to Protect Us
Myths vs. Facts
“Alternative” Methods: Investigative Reports
- Questionable Cancer Therapies LONG ARTICLE – READ THIS FIRST
- Is There a Conspiracy to Suppress Cancer Cures?
- General Advice from the National Cancer Institute
- Can Any Cancer Treatment Strengthen the Immune System?
- “Miraculous Results” that Weren’t
- Be Wary of Fee-Based Advice That Includes “Alternative” Treatment Options
- OTA Report: Unconventional Cancer Treatments (a 300-page book)
- ACS List of Unproven Methods (1971)
- Reports of the Swiss Study Group for Complementary and Alternative Methods in Cancer
- Book Review: American Cancer Society’s Guide to Complementary and Alternative Cancer Methods
Questionable Tests
Dubious Treatments
- Alkaline diet
- AM-2
- Amyloxine
- Antimalignocyt (CH-23)
- Antineoplastons (Stanislaw Burzynski, MD)
- Antioxidants
- Anvirzel (FDA warning letter)
- Aveloz
- Ayurveda
- Bemer 3000
- Bio-Ionic System (Evans Rapsomanikis)
- Biotech Cell Information
- BioResonance Tumor Therapy
- Bioterrain Management System
- Bob Beck Protocol
- Budwig diet (link to Cancer Research UK)
- Bryomixol
- CanCell (also called Cantron, Entelev, and Protocel)
- Cannabis oil / CBD (link to Cancer Research UK)
- Canova Method
- Cansema System
- Carctol
- Carnivora
- Cat’s Claw (link to another site)
- Cellular Health™ (Matthias Rath)
- Cellular Therapy
- Cesium chloride
- Chaparral
- Coffee enemas (see Gerson method)
- Coley’s Toxins
- Controlled Amino Acid Therapy
- Coral calcium
- “Cure for All Cancers” (Hulda Clark)
- CWAT-Treatment: Bioresonance therapy (link to FTC complaint)
- Davidson Cancer Clinic/Monterrey Wellness Cancer
- Devices: General comments
- Devitalisation
- Di Bella therapy
- Dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO)
- Electron replacement therapy
- Elixir Vitae
- Escharotic Salves
- Essiac
- Fasting
- Forticel tea (link FDA warning letter)
- Fractional chemotherapy
- Galavit
- Galvanotherapy
- Gc-MAF (also called GcMAF)
- Gerson method
- Gonzalez (Kelley) metabolic therapy
- Grape cure
- Greek Cancer Cure (Alivazatos) (posted 8/31/98)
- GS Drops
- Hallelujah Diet
- Hamer’s “New Medicine” (also called German New Medicine)
- HANSI™
- Health Restoration Program (Lorraine Day, MD)
- Holt microwave treatment
- Hoxsey Treatment
- Hydrazine Sulfate
- Hyperthermia, whole body
- Immuno-Augmentative Therapy
- ImmunoPower
- Immunostim
- ImmuStim (Gregory E. Caplinger)
- Induced Remission Therapy (Sam Chachoua)
- Induced Hypoglycemic Treatment (IHT, also called Hypoglycemic Adjuvant Therapy)
- Instinctotherapy (raw food diet)
- Insulin Potentiation Therapy (IPT)
- Intra-Cellular Hyperthermia Therapy (ICHT)
- Issels’ Whole Body Therapy
- Jason Winters tea
- Jomol
- Kangan water
- Ketogenic diet
- Krebiozen
- Laetrile
- Livingston-Wheeler Regimen
- Macrobiotic diet
- MGN-3
- Metabolic therapy
- Manner Metabolic Therapy
- Questionable Practices at Mexican Border Clinics (link to American Cancer Society)
- MICOM
- Miracle Mineral Solution (MMS)
- Mistletoe / Iscador
- Moerman diet
- Mucorhicin
- Multi Wave Oscillator
- Naltrexone
- Nieper Therapy
- NeyTumerin
- NORI protocol
- Oncolyn
- “Oxygenation therapies”)
- Pap Ion Magnetic Inductor
- Pau D’arco
- PC SPES
- Polyatomic Oxygen Therapy
- Poly-MVA (aka Polydox and LAMC (link to ACS article)
- Pulsating Energy Resonance Therapy (PERTH)
- Psychic surgery
- Psychologic methods
- R-A therapy
- RANA System
- Recancostat
- Reishi mushroom extract (link to Cancer Research UK)
- Resan Antitumor Vaccine
- Revici Cancer Control
- Rife Frequency Generator
- Rigvir
- RM-10
- Seasilver
- 714X
- Shark Cartilage
- Simonton method (link to CAM-Cancer)
- Sodium bicarbonate injections (Dr. T. Simoncini)
- Stockholm Protocol
- Sundance Nachez Mineral Water (see MICOM)
- Tahitian Noni
- Thymus therapy
- Tian Xian Liquid
- Tumorex
- Turmeric (link to Cancer Research UK)
- T-Up
- Two Feathers Healing Formula
- Ukrain (link to another site)
- Ultraviolet blood irradiation
- VG-1000
- “Vitamin B-17” tablets
- Vitamin C
- Wheatgrass
- Zoetron therapy (Cell Specific Cancer Therapy)
Other Questionable Activities
- Genetic Services Management (dubious “clinical trial”)
Quackery Victim Reports
- The Death of Debbie Benson
- Ruth Conrad (burned by an escharotic)
- Lucillle Craven
- Lori Hoeksema
- An Experience with Robert H. Dowling
- Some Thoughts about the Klinik St. George
Legal and Regulatory Actions
- American Metabolic Institute
- Cancer Treatment Centers of America (1996)
- Century Wellness Clinic
- Court Rules Doctor Not Required to Tell Patients about “Alternative” Therapies
- Issels Medical Center
- Laetrile Spammers (Christian Brothers) Facing $631,585 Penalty
- Limits Placed on Burzynski’s Cancer Treatment (1998)
- Phony Doctor Sentenced for Cancer Drug Scam (LK-200)
Nonrecommended Information Sources
- Amber’s Alliance Foundation
- Arlin J. Brown Information Center
- Bioimmune Inc (formerly CancerOption.com) (link to Casewatch)
- Canadian Cancer Research Group (CCRG)
- Cancer Control Society
- Cancer Cure Foundation / Cure Research Foundation
- Cancer Information and Support Society
- Cancer Information Center
- Cancer Tutor
- CancerSource complementary & integrative therapies
- CANHELP (founded by Patrick M. McGrady, Jr.)
- Center for Advancement in Cancer Education
- Center for Alternative Cancer Research (Project Cure)
- Committee for Freedom of Choice in Medicine
- Commonweal
- Foundation for Advancement in Cancer Therapy, Ltd (FACT), formerly called Foundation for Alternative Cancer Therapy, Ltd.
- International Association of Cancer Victors and Friends
- International Cancer Association Network (Australia)
- International Council for Health Freedom
- National Cancer Research Foundation (New York City)
- National Foundation for Alternative Medicine
- National Health Federation
- Orthomolecular Oncology
- People Against Cancer
- Prostate Health Resources (Larry Clapp)
- Ralph Moss on Cancer
- Syracuse Cancer Research Institute
Recommended Information Sources
- About Herbs, Botanicals, & Other Products: Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center database
- American Cancer Society: A few articles on “complementary and alternative therapies” are
too bland. - American Society of Clinical Oncology
- Cam-Cancer: Critiques of 70 “CAM” methods
- Cancer.Net: Doctor-approved information from the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO)
- Cancer Research UK: Critiques of more than 40 “CAM” methods
- Clinical Trials: Index of National Cancer Institute Information
- Dictionary of Cancer Terms
- National Cancer Institute
- National Comprehensive Cancer Network
- National Guidelines Clearinghouse: Index to guidelines for detection and management of many types of cancer.
- Oncolink: University of Pennsylvania’s Cancer database
- Pancreatica.org: All about cancer of the pancreas
Patient Support
- Helping People Cope: A Guide for Families Facing Cancer (1988). Published by the Pennsylvania Department of Health
- Guide for Cancer Supporters: Appropriate strategies for dealing with cancer. Warning: The “mental welfare” section of Part 2 contains unsubstantiated statements and should be ignored.
- National Cancer Institute: Support Services
Nonrecommended Books
- Beating Cancer with Nutrition (Michael Quillin, PhD, Rd, 1994)
- Cancer: Why We’re Still Dying to Know the Truth (Phillip Day, 2001)
- Cancer and Common Sense (Douglas Brodie, MD)
- Cancer and Its Nutritional Therapies (Richard Passwater, 1978, 1983)
- Cancer & Nutrition (Charles B. Simone, MD, 1983)
- Cancer: One Disease, One Cause, One Cure (Mike Thompson, DC)
- Cancer: Treating Cancer with Insulin Potentiation Therapy (Ross Hauder, MD, Marion A. Hauser, MS, RD, 2002)
- Cancer: Why We’re Still Dying to Know the Truth (Philip Day, 2000)
- The Cancer Industry (Ralph W. Moss.1980, 1989).
- Cancer Therapy (Ralph W. Moss, 1992)
- Choices in Healing (Michael Lerner, 1994)
- Comprehensive Cancer Care (James S. Gordon, MD, and Sharon Curtin, 2000)
- Cure for All Cancers (Hulda Clark, 1993)
- Definitive Guide to Cancer (W. John Diamond, MD, W. Lee Cowden, MD, and Burton Goldberg, 1997)
- Getting Well Again (O. Carl Simonton, MD, Stephanie Matthews-Simonton, James L. Creighton, 1978)
- Laetrile Case Histrories (John Richardson, MD, 1977)
- Living Well Naturally (Anthony J. Sattilaro, MD, 1984)
- B17: Metabolic Therapy in the prevention and control of cancer, a technical manual (Philip Day, 2002)
- Nutrition: The Cancer Answer II (Maureen Salaman, 1995)
- Options: The Alternative Cancer Therapy Book (Richard Walters, 1993)
- Prostate Health in 90 Days (Larry Clapp, 1997-2002)
- Recalled by Life (Anthony J. Sattilaro, MD, 1982)
- Sharks Don’t Get Cancer (I. William Lane, PhD, 1992)
- The Cancer Cure That Worked!
(Barry Lynes) - The Cancer Revoilution (Leigh Erin Connealy, MD, 2017)
- Third Opinion (John M. Fink, 1988, 1992, 1997)
- Ultimate Cancer Breakthroughs (Marco Wutzer)
- When Healing Becomes a Crime (Kenny Ausubel, 2000)
- World without Cancer (G. Edward Griffin, 1974, 1997)
This page was revised on July 25, 2019.