Laetrile

Abstract

In this report the author has examined the facts about Laetrile. The author finds not a shred of evidence that this drug will play even a minor role in oncology in the future. The drug is toxic, at times highly so; it is teratogenic; it may be goitrogenic; it may cause deaths; and all animal and human cancer studies reported to date have failed to show prolongation in survival or a substantial reduction in tumor size. Legislation responsive to Laetrile's pressure groups has the real potential of diverting patients with treatable and curable cancer away from the skilled care of competent physicians toward less knowledgeable practitioners who believe more in the propaganda of pro-laetrile fanatics than in the current data showing real progress in cancer treatment. With the passage of bills legalizing a worthless remedy for a curable disease, we see a precedent being set that will lead to a reorientation of our entire health care services, a reorientation away from efficacious therapies toward useless nostrums. Let us hope our medical and legal professions will see the issues clearly and be guided by facts, not fantasy.