Yesterday, cancer researchers reported at a meeting in Chicago that a drug derived from shark cartilage is not an effective treatment against an aggressive form of lung cancer. That study is at least the second test of the putative cancer drug to produce disappointing results.
To date, no clinical trial has found shark cartilage to be effective against cancer in people. The accumulating evidence suggests that the lucrative market for shark cartilage supplements is based on, shall we say, shark oil.
Two years ago, Science News reviewed the evidence for and against shark cartilage. In lab tests, the substance has been found to counter angiogenesis, or the formation of new blood vessels, which is an important process supporting tumor growth. However, several previous trials involving cancer patients, including one that used the same drug as was used in the new study, have found no benefit associated with consumption of shark cartilage.
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