Shark Cartilage Supplement Does Not Extend the Lives of Lung, Advanced Breast or Colorectal Cancer Patients

Researchers recently announced the results of an NCCAM and National Cancer Institute co-funded clinical trial showing that a shark cartilage supplement did not improve the overall survival of patients with lung cancer.

Charles Lu, M.D., and colleagues at the University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center conducted this phase III randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled clinical trial at cancer centers throughout the U.S. and Canada.

The researchers were trying to see if a shark cartilage supplement, AE-941 (Neovastat), would shrink or slow the growth of cancer in patients with stage III non-small cell lung cancer. The supplement, AE-941, was available only through the trial and cannot be purchased commercially.

All 379 patients in the study received radiation and chemotherapy in addition to a shark cartilage supplement or a placebo pill. The study team found that those taking the supplement did not live any longer than those taking the placebo.

A previous NCCAM-funded study also found that shark cartilage did not benefit patients with advanced breast or colon cancer. Results of that trial are available here: nccam.nih.gov/research/results/sharkcartilage_rr.htm.

References
A phase III study of AE-941 with induction chemotherapy (IC) and concomitant chemoradiotherapy (CRT) for stage III non- small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) (NCI T99-0046, RTOG 02-70, MDA 99-303), C. Lu, J. J. Lee, R. Komaki, R. S. Herbst, W. K. Evans, H. Choy, P. Desjardins, B. T. Esparaz, M. Truong, M. J. Fisch.
Abstract presented at the June 2007 American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting.
More information on AE-941 is available here: www.cancer.gov/ncicancerbulletin/NCI_Cancer_Bulletin_072605/page4.

Powdered Shark Cartilage for Advanced Breast and Colorectal Cancer: Research Results

May 2005

Results of a study funded by the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine (NCCAM) and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) indicate that adding powdered shark cartilage (Benefin®) to standard cancer therapy did not benefit patients with advanced breast or colorectal cancer. The study, a randomized, placebo-controlled, double-blind clinical trial, enrolled 88 patients and assessed overall survival, side effects and quality of life. The study results were published in the July 1, 2005, issue of the journal Cancer.

The researchers designed and carried out this study because laboratory and animal studies of some forms of shark cartilage had suggested anti-cancer properties, specifically, an ability to slow growth of new blood vessels critical to the growth of new tumors. Other studies are continuing with different preparations of shark cartilage and different cancers.

In this study, it was difficult for patients to follow the study protocol. All patients were to receive standard care for their cancer, then they were randomized to receive either the Benefin® shark cartilage product or an identical-smelling placebo. The study required participants to mix the powder with juice or water and drink it 3 to 4 times a day. Half of the patients in both groups stopped taking the study product after 1 month. Poor patient adherence, difficulty with enrolling the target of 600 patients, and the lack of apparent evidence of benefit of the product resulted in the decision to stop the study early.

For More Information
Details about the study:
Phase III Randomized Study of Shark Cartilage (BeneFin™) in Patients With Advanced Colorectal or Breast CancerCartilage (Bovine and Shark) (PDQ®)
Expert-reviewed information summary about the use of bovine and shark cartilage as a treatment for cancer.