cancer Shark cartilage

One of the treatment "miraculous" that is popular for treating cancer is shark cartilage. By arguing that "sharks do not have cancer, and sharks have no bones, only cartilage, so obviously, shark cartilage can prevent cancer." There are three problems in simple sentence was misleading.

Sharks cancer

First, the shark does not have a skeleton of bones. Their skeleton made of cartilage. But the Sharks also had cancer.

There are at least 43 cases are recorded shark exposed to a variety of tumors, including thyroid cancer, linfoma, metastatic adenocarcinoma, and nerve cancer, blood cancer, cancer of the reproductive tract, skin cancer, and gastrointestinal cancers. Some sharks have two tumors. There are even cases of cartilage tumors. The study was conducted by Dr. Gary Ostrander, Professor of Biology at Johns Hopkins University, who surveyed the network database at the National Cancer Institute's Registry Of Tumors In Lower Animals conducted at George Washington University. Figures 43 is not a huge amount compared to the number of sharks are there. But remember, most of the commercial fishing catch sharks did not examine them, whether the sharks have cancer. And, after all, in the ocean mostly eaten by animals who are sick or healthy animals drowned in the sea floor and die.

Cartilage was not useful
Second, all studies conducted so far shows that eating a cup or two cups per day of shark cartilage are not harmful. However, none of which showed shark cartilage can prevent or treat cancer.

Avoiding regular treatment
A third problem in shark cartilage is very serious: cancer patients are convinced through advertising, to buy shark cartilage and stop anti-cancer treatment that has been clinically proven. The current anticancer treatment is not perfect, but it's the best we have.

The history of shark cartilage

The whole saga is a sad shark cartilage that begins with I. William Lane in 1983. In the 1990s he wrote the book with Linda Comac which states that "sharks do not have cancer." in 1992 appeared his book, sharks do not get cancer: how shark cartilage Could save your life. Then, in 1996 there are also a book called sharks still do not get cancer. He got a lot of positive response in 60 minutes the U.S. version.
This is easier for her son, Andrew Lane, Lane Labs building in New Jersey to market and sell shark cartilage. One of the products they sold very well, until the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) U.S. quickly freezing Lane Labs official letter for doing "a deceptive marketing" in 2004.

Sharks and anticancer

Nevertheless, there is an anticancer material somewhere in the shark.

First, Dr. Carl A. Luer, of the Mote Marine Laboratory in Sarasota, Florida, has tried to cause cancer in sharks during the last decade, to learn more about human cancer. He found the shark is the most difficult animals affected by cancer. For example, carcinogenic chemicals Aflatoxin B1 (sometimes found in peanuts) quickly leads to cancer on bony fishes hard. However, chemicals that have never trigger cancer in sharks. Does the framework of cartilage is associated with this? Dr. Luer not know ..

Second, every cancer has the essential needs to grow new blood vessels to feed him. In laboratory tests, there is something fresh in shark cartilage that can slow the growth of new blood vessels. But none of the isolated chemicals can increase the life expectancy of cancer patients in the studies conducted so far.

And keep in mind, there is word the cartilage HIU FRESH FRESH above. Not like most sharks are marketed which have been stored as a dead carcass, without the refrigerator, and often for days or weeks.