Cancer patients should be extremely leery of herbal products promoted and sold over the Internet, says a researcher who has studied Web sites that offer supplements that claim to prevent, treat, and even "cure" cancer.

Not only are these products untested, but the Web sites that promote them violate a 1994 federal law that bans unsupported treatment claims, says Robert Bonakdar, MD, a fellow at the Scripps Center for Integrative Medicine in La Jolla, Calif.

Because they are breaking US laws, many of these glitzy Web sites are not based in this country, although the consumer may not know that up front, Bonakdar tells ACS News Today.

Worse still, patients who use herbal supplements risk aggravating their disease or promoting drug interaction with treatments they are already using, he says.

"These are beautiful, multimillion dollar Web sites that look legitimate," Bonakdar says. "But their intent is to sell an herbal product that is completely untested and unregulated to cancer patients who may be desperate."

Bonakdar's study, presented in October at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Family Physicians, and soon to be published in the journal Family Medicine, is the first to survey Internet sites that focus on herbal medicine and cancer.

The work shows "the very grave concern" that many physicians have about untested cancer treatments, says Barrie Cassileth, PhD, chief of the integrative medicine service at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, and member of the American Cancer Society's (ACS) complementary and alternative (CAM) methods of cancer management committee.

"Herbal supplements are just the tip of the iceberg," she says. "There are all kinds of special diets — pieces of equipment like magnets, botanical supplements — that offer so-called cures that routinely and consciously violate the law."

Bonakdar found that 92% of the 34 commercial (product selling) Web sites he studied claimed that the supplement they sold could "prevent" cancer, and 89% said its product could "treat" cancer.

Most alarming of all, he says, is that 58% of sites studied sold supplements that assert to "cure" cancer. One example, Bonakdar points out, is a Web site that sells "100% guaranteed success" in the removal of skin cancers, including melanoma "regardless of size or type."

Another example is a Canadian site offering a guarantee that its "holistic herbs" can cure cancer "naturally without negative side effects. Our programs kill the cancer and not just treat it until one dies."

Many patients don't realize, however, that "money-back" sites frequently close or move to a new Web site to avoid detection, Bonakdar says.

"Patient testimonials" are used on 89% of the Web sites studied in order to sell their products because these personal stories — even if falsified — cannot be regulated. Yet, Bonakdar says, fewer than 40% of the sites recommended that users consult with their regular doctors before taking the product.

Only 31% of commercial Web sites offered research references.

Comparatively, of the 27 non-commercial sites Bonakdar studied (mostly sponsored by the government, academia, or patient support organizations), 93% offered references for herbal treatments that were discussed.

Bonakdar, who practices family medicine, says he understands the appeal of herbal products, and asks patients to discuss all treatments they are using with their doctors. Some, he says, may help treat side effects of traditional cancer treatment.

David Rosenthal, MD, a Harvard researcher and oncologist at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute, urges cancer patients to switch doctors if they don't trust them enough to talk about supplemental treatments.

"If a physician is not a good partner," says Rosenthal, "you need to find a different one. It's so important to confide in and inform your doctor of what you are using."

Rosenthal, who serves as the chair of ACS's CAM cancer management committee, says he always asks patients about their diets, use of over-the-counter drugs, and their experience surfing health sites on the Internet.

"I tell them about reliable Web sites," says Rosenthal, "and warn them that there are a lot of Web sites out there that can harm them."

Additional Resoures:

ACS Bookstore