Time is running out for Dr Stanislaw Burzynski

Surely this can’t go on for much longer.

Clinical trials on Burzynski’s signature treatment, antineoplastons, were stopped following the death of a child and horrifying findings by the US FDA. But Burzynski is still in business selling chemotherapy in untested and unapproved combinations, describing critics as hooligans and suggesting that former patients are prostitutes and crooks trying to make money from him.

And despite the trials having been stopped and despite serious and well documented issues, there are still recent misleading articles in the British press, casting Burzynski in a positive light.

For further background on Burzynski and on recent developments, I strongly recommend you read the recent USA Today investigation by Liz Szabo. It is an impressive piece of work – thorough, fair, accurate and utterly shocking. Watch the accompanying videos, view the embedded source documents and then ask how on earth Burzynski is still going.

Ask for Evidence on “miracle” cancer cures

Sense about Science are highlighting miracle cancer cures as part of their Ask for Evidence campaign.

This post aims to highlight the harm done by “miracle” cures and to suggest what evidence hunters can do to tackle this. It also gives examples of when action has had an effect and the ways those selling such treatments can wriggle out of trouble.

“Dr” Robert O Young: shameless cancer quack

Apologies for the messy formatting. This has been exported from Storify in haste.

“Dr” Robert O Young, the shameless cancer quack, stooped even lower than usual yesterday.

Cancer quackery on sale at Amazon.co.uk

Selling and advertising unlicensed cancer cures is illegal, dangerous and cynically exploits the vulnerable. And while it doesn’t surprise me that there are dubious alternative health websites marketing such products, to find them on sale through Amazon is unexpected and worrying.

The following products are all currently available* from Amazon.co.uk, sold by third parties. The Blood Purifier is even “fulfilled by Amazon”, meaning the product is picked, packed and shipped by Amazon from one of their warehouses.

Totnes Cancer Conference: shaping up for a shambles

If the March Totnes Cancer Care Conference was a farce, then the November one looks set to be a shambles.

Keen to avoid the problems that blighted the last conference, organiser Dr Stephen Hopwood has been careful to point out that the conference will not discuss treating people for cancer, but treating people with cancer. This seems to me to be a blatant and cynical way of sidestepping the Cancer Act.