Products Claiming to "Cure" Cancer Are

a Cruel Deception
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Miracle cure! Truly amazing! Works in minutes! Guaranteed! These are just a few of the
false claims made by fraudulent health care products that should serve as red flags for
consumers. See below for more red flags.
 
 Learn more about the history of cancer fraud below.

Beware of products claiming to cure cancer on websites or social media platforms, such
as Facebook and Instagram. According to Nicole Kornspan, M.P.H., a consumer safety
officer at the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), they’re rampant these days.

“Anyone who suffers from cancer, or knows someone who does, understands the fear and
desperation that can set in,” says Kornspan. “There can be a great temptation to jump at
anything that appears to offer a chance for a cure.”

Legitimate medical products such as drugs and devices intended to treat cancer must gain
FDA approval or clearance before they are marketed and sold. The agency’s review
process helps ensure that these products are safe and effective for their intended uses.

Nevertheless, it’s always possible to find someone or some company hawking bogus
cancer “treatments,” which come in many forms, including pills, capsules, powders,
creams, teas, oils, and treatment kits. Frequently advertised as “natural” treatments and
often falsely labeled as dietary supplements, such products may appear harmless, but may
cause harm by delaying or interfering with proven, beneficial treatments. Absent FDA
approval or clearance for safety, they could also contain dangerous ingredients.

That holds true for treatments intended for humans and those intended for pets.
“Increasingly, bogus remedies claiming to cure cancer in cats and dogs are showing up
online,” Kornspan says. “People who cannot afford to spend large sums at the animal
hospital to treat cancer in their beloved dogs and cats are searching for less expensive
remedies.”

The FDA urges consumers to steer clear of these potentially unsafe and unproven
products and to always discuss cancer treatment options with their licensed health care
provider.

FDA Takes Action

As warranted, FDA sends warning letters to companies, advising them to change or
remove fraudulent claims from their websites. If the companies don’t comply, the FDA
may take further legal action to prevent their products from reaching consumers.

Red Flags
While some fraudulent products claim to cure a variety of diseases and conditions,
fraudulent cancer products often use a particular vocabulary, Kornspan says. Consumers
should recognize certain phrases as red flags, including:

 Treats all forms of cancer

 Miraculously kills cancer cells and tumors
 Shrinks malignant tumors
 Selectively kills cancer cells
 More effective than chemotherapy
 Attacks cancer cells, leaving healthy cells intact
 Cures cancer

Moreover, whether products claim to cure cancer or another disease, there are a number
of catch phrases that can tip you off that they’re bogus.

“There are legal ways for patients to access investigational drugs, for example taking part
in clinical trials,” says Kornspan. Patients looking to try an experimental cancer treatment
should talk to their doctor about treatment options. For more information, visit the
National Cancer Institute Clinical Trials website.

Cancer Fraud: Nothing New

 

Harry M. Hoxsey had no medical training yet made millions hawking quack cancer
“cures” to desperate patients for more than three decades, until FDA was able to help
remove the products from the market in the 1950s. Hoxsey’s herb extract cancer
treatment had no scientific basis, and while the legal case against Hoxsey unfolded, to
help warn consumers, in 1957 FDA issued this poster and placed it in post offices around
the country. Learn more about Hoxsey's fraudulent cancer treatment and get these high-
resolution photos on FDA's Flickr photostream