When I first encountered Stanislaw Burzynski and the Burzynski Clinic around a decade ago, I didn’t know what to make of him. Sure, he seemed quacky, with all the testimonials of miracle cures and the claims that he cured deadly brain cancers like diffuse intrinsic pontine glioma (DIPG) that conventional oncology could do no more than palliate. Sure, it was rather odd that he had never done a fellowship in oncology or an oncology-related specialty. However, he was a Polish expat who seemingly was an excellent student, and he did have a brief career as a real cancer researcher at …
Category: Cancer
Cancer disparities: Money matters
Cancer is an incredibly complicated disease. It's not just differences in genetics and biology that determine outcomes, either. Cancer disparities is the study of factors that result in differences in outcome. Not surprisingly, money matters.
Suzanne Somers “grew a new breast” with stem cells plus fat transfer? Not so fast…
Suzanne Somers is back in the news, claiming that she "grew a new breast" with stem cells and fat transfer. But did she? Did she really? A careful look at what's public about her story suggests nothing other than a bit of self-promotion during Breast Cancer Awareness Month.
Dugald Seely: Cosplaying a real oncologist to test naturopathic oncology snake oil
Dugald Seely, ND (Not-a-Doctor) is a Canadian naturopathic oncologist who's made quite the.name for himself cosplaying a real clinical researcher. What he really studies, unfortunately, is combining naturopathic quackery with real medicine. Basically, he's cosplaying a real clinical researcher, and crappy clinical trials are his props.
Surprise! Surprise! JACM publishes a whole issue devoted to “integrative oncology” propaganda
Last week, The Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine (JACM) published a Special Focus Issue on "integrative oncology." In reality, it's propaganda that promotes pseudoscience and the "integration" of quackery into oncology.
How online crowdfunding supports cancer quacks
Patients with cancer frequently use online crowdfunding to pay for trips to quack clinics. The Good Thinking has undertaken an investigation that is the first to suggest the extent of the problem. The question is: What to do about it?
Aromatase inhibitors and acupuncture in breast cancer: Spinning a negative study
Aromatase inhibitors are antiestrogen drugs frequently used to treat breast cancer. Unfortunately, they can cause significant joint pain. A recent study of acupuncture for joint pain caused by these drugs was basically negative, but the authors did their best to spin it as positive. Same as it ever was for acupuncture studies.
One Conversation: Three legitimate medical authorities ensnared in the trap of appearing on a panel with antivaxers
I was invited to discuss vaccines with antivaxers for a panel called One Conversation. Recognizing an antivaccine trap, I politely declined. Unfortunately, other legitimate medical authorities did not, thus enabling the illusion of legitimization of antivaccine views.
Clínica 0-19 and IDOI: Not making DIPG history in Monterrey (part 4 of 4)
Orac has finally located the abstract published by Dr. Alberto Siller and Alberto Garcia, who are selling intra-arterial chemotherapy for the deadly brain tumor DIPG. Let's just say that he's...less than impressed by the results. Shades of Burzynski!
Dr. Kristi Funk: Angelina Jolie’s surgeon is spreading misinformation about breast cancer
Dr. Kristi Funk is a breast surgeon to the stars in Beverly Hills. She's known for having operated on Sheryl Crow and Angelina Jolie for breast cancer. This year, she published a book about breast health and breast cancer. Unfortunately, it’s full of misinformation and radical advice with little or no basis in science.