Original article (in Slovenian) was published on 23/1/2024; Author: Meta Gantar
Domen Ribnikar, head of the Internal Oncology Department at the Institute of Oncology, explained that the risk of recurrence in cancer patients depends on the type, stage and biological characteristics of the cancer. Drug therapies such as chemotherapy largely prevent recurrence after the surgical removal of a malignant tumour.
In a 15 December 2024 Facebook post, a user described the personal experience of his father, who he said cured his cancer in a completely natural way with vitamin B17, also known as amygdalin, and dieting. Within a month, the post was shared by more than 670 users.
In comments below the post, the user claimed that chemotherapy “is like an atom bomb thrown at the system, which destroys everything in its path. The good and the bad”. According to the user, chemotherapy “does not cure anything, it only destroys and poisons”. He explained that the reason he described his father’s experience in the comments rather than the post is because “it could otherwise be censored or deleted,” and stressed that the experience he described was not medical advice.
Domen Ribnikar, head of the Internal Oncology Department at the Ljubljana Institute of Oncology, explained to Razkrinkavanje.si that chemotherapy means treatment with conventional cytostatics – drugs that prevent the growth and division of cancer cells. Cytostatics act directly on the genetic material of cancer cells or affect cells at certain stages, such as the stage where they divide. They treat different types of cancer in different ways.
Systemic cancer treatment means first surgically removing the tumour if possible, and then, if there are no metastases, introducing drug therapy such as chemotherapy, immunotherapy or biological therapy. This also removes microscopic remnants of the disease in the body that cannot yet be found and removed by other means, he explained. Most cancer patients are cured because of effective systemic treatment, according to him.
Ribnikar explained that oncologists decide on a course of treatment for a cancer patient based on the type of cancer, the stage at which it is, and its biological characteristics, such as the risk or malignancy.
It is these factors that determine the risk of recurrence. The higher the stage of the disease and the worse the biological characteristics of the tumour, the higher the likelihood of recurrence, even if the doctors have delivered the best possible systemic therapy.
Because chemotherapy drugs affect rapidly dividing cancer cells, they can also inadvertently inhibit rapidly dividing healthy cells in the body, such as those in hair follicles, the lining of the digestive tract, and bone marrow, Ribnikar said. As a result, patients experience adverse side effects such as hair loss, inflammation of the mouth and muscle pain. Chemotherapy can also affect bone marrow cells, and thus the immune system, by causing temporary anaemia or increasing the risk of infection, especially bacterial and fungal infections.
The risk of infection in immunodeficient patients depends on their age, comorbidities, type of cancer and the chosen treatment. Patients with cancers of the lymphatic system such as lymph nodes or bone marrow, which are treated with more aggressive drugs, face the highest risk of infection.
Ribnikar warned that patients may experience generalised side effects from chemotherapy. They may fatigue quickly, have no strength, or feel sick. Specific side effects depend on the type and dosage of the drug, the patient’s age and comorbidities. These include, for example, muscle cell collapse in the heart or tingling in the fingers. With some drug mixtures, acute blood cancer can occur a decade or more after treatment.
A review study on the development of chemotherapy, published in 2022 in the peer-reviewed scientific journal Genes & Diseases concluded that chemotherapy is a clinically well studied and evaluated treatment for cancer. Its main aim is to neutralise cancer cells and mitigate the effects of tumour growth. Although the study confirmed that adverse side effects occur after chemotherapy, it found that chemotherapy significantly improved the average survival chances of patients.
The author of the Facebook post claimed that vitamin B17 (amygdalin) has a positive effect on cancer treatment. Ribnikar explained to Razkrinkavanje.si that “there is no clinical data so far supporting the claim that amygdalin is effective in treating cancer”.
A study published in 2023 in the peer-reviewed International Journal of Molecular Sciences confirmed that some animal tests have shown potential anti-cancer properties of amygdalin and its synthetic version, laetrile. But they also highlighted of the risk of toxic effects from excessive use of amygdalin: in the body it is converted into different compounds, including cyanide, which can cause unwanted side effects such as rapid heartbeat, disorientation, nausea, even coma or death.
In December 2021, we reported on ads for Rens dietary supplements, which were claimed to help cancer patients with their treatment due to the amygdalin content of apricot kernel oil. The Institute of Oncology explained to Razkrinkavanje.si at the time that amygdalin becomes toxic when it is converted into cyanide.
We have informed the Facebook user of our findings. We will publish his reaction when we receive it.
The claim that chemotherapy destroys everything in its path, good and bad, and that it does not cure anything but only destroys and poisons, is not true.