An unproven method of cancer treatment Laetrile.
A substance used for the treatment of cancer. It was originally prepared as a serum extract from horses that had been injected with a deadly fungus. Krebiozen was first promoted by Yugoslavian physician Dr. Steven Durovic and by Dr. Andrew Ivy of the University of Illinois. Krebiozen therapy grew in popularity during the 1950s and early 1960s. Proponents claimed that Krebiozen produced a high level of activity against a variety of cancers that were considered incurable, with few, if any, side effects. Its contents were at first kept secret from the scientific community, for fear of sabotage by the medical establishment. Thus Krebiozen was shielded for a time from the conventional research standards of thorough and timely disclosure and peer evaluation and critique. In 1963, the federal government completed a comprehensive examination of Krebiozen. Tests of Krebiozen showed that it contained mineral oil and creatinine, a substance normally excreted by the body; neither agent has any proven anticancer activity. The federal investigation included a review of the records of more than 500 patients who had reportedly benefited from Krebiozen therapy. After evaluating these cases submitted by the Krebiozen Research Foundation, an expert committee concluded that there was no evidence to suggest Krebiozen had any therapeutic effects whatsoever on cancer patients.
A disputed substance claimed to have potential effectiveness in cancer treatment.