Over the ages various forms of therapies have been developed in the hope of curing or preventing this disease. The American Cancer Society (ACS) has defined questionable methods as clinical tests or therapeutic modalities that are promoted for general use for the diagnosis or treatment of cancer. The ACS evaluates cancer methods by asking three questions:
- Has the method been objectively demonstrated in the peer-reviewed scientific literature to be effective?
- Has the method shown potential for benefit that clearly exceeds the potential for harm?
- Have objective studies been correctly conducted under appropriate peer review to answer these questions?
Some of the questionable methods which are adopted today include corrosive agents, plant products, special diets and "dietary supplements", drugs, biologic methods, devices, psychological approaches, and worthless diagnostic tests. Many promoters combine methods to make their products more marketable.
Methods Of Cancer Therapies:
Some of today's "alternative" methods are described below in alphabetical order:
- Antineoplastons -Stanislaw R. Burzynski, M.D., has given the name "antineoplastons" to substances that can "normalize" cancer cells that are constantly being produced within the body. He has published many papers stating that antineoplastons extracted from urine or synthesized in his laboratory have proven effective against cancer in laboratory experiments.
A 1992 analysis concluded that none of Burzynski's "antineoplastons" has been proven to normalize tumor cells which proved his claims normalization of cancer cells wrong. - Cancell Originally called Entelev and recently renamed Cantron and Protocel. It is a liquid claimed to cure cancer by "lowering the voltage of the cell structure by about 20% which in turn causes the cancer cells to digest and be replaced with normal cells.
- Cell Specific Cancer Therapy (CSCT) is applied with a device that is four inches thick, shaped like a donut, and exposes the patient to a magnetic field that is much weaker than that of magnetic resonance imaging. CSCT is claimed not to cure cancer but to "destroy active cancerous cells in a body and to do so without causing any damage to healthy cells." Its objective is to destroy enough cancerous cells that the body's immune system is "once again able to take over and do its normal job.
- Essiac Essiac is an herbal remedy that was prescribed and promoted for about 50 years by Rene M. Caisse. Reports state that the formula contains burdock, Indian rhubarb, sorrel, and slippery elm, and also may contain additional ingredients.
- Fresh Cell Therapy Fresh cell therapy, also called live cell therapy, involves injections of fresh embryonic animal cells taken from the organ or tissue that corresponds to the unhealthy organ or tissue in the patient. The recipient's body automatically transports the injected cells to the target organ where they repair and rejuvenate the ailing cells.
- Gerson Method Proponents of the Gerson diet claim that cancer can be cured only if toxins are eliminated from the body. They recommend "detoxification" with frequent coffee enemas and a low-sodium diet that juices made from fruits, vegetables, and raw calf's liver.
The methods listed above are just some of the methods which are used for the cure and diagnosis of cancer.
Besides these treatments there are several other methods of treatment of cancer which are being used today.