Which botanicals or other unconventional anticancer agents should we take to clinical trial?
There is significant public and scientific interest as regards unconventional anticancer agents (complementary and alternative medicine [CAM] agents). This article describes five principles pertaining to the question of which CAM agents should be taken to clinical trial: (1) many CAM agents have been proposed as cancer treatments, far more than could possibly be studied in clinical trials; (2) claims by patients or practitioners are generally unhelpful in choosing which CAM agents to test; (3) laboratory studies can help determine which CAM agents to take to trial and with which cointerventions; (4) preliminary laboratory studies are essential to confirm safety before trials can be considered; and (5) the vast majority of anticancer CAM agents will be ineffective; our aim should be to discard agents from consideration as rapidly as possible.
Vickers
Andrew J
AJ
Department of Medicine, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY 10021, USA. vickersa@mskcc.org
D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D000529:Complementary Therapies; D019587:Dietary Supplements; D041743:Herb-Drug Interactions; D029001:Herbal Medicine; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000178:diet therapy / Q000188:drug therapy*; D010946:Plants, Medicinal / Q000009:adverse effects*
D000972:Antineoplastic Agents, Phytogenic; D000975:Antioxidants