Clinical Trial to Test Effectiveness of Shark Cartilage as Treatment

Shark cartilage has been called everything from a miracle cancer cure to utter quackery. Now science is weighing in.

The National Cancer Institute has announced the launch of a large, randomized clinical trial to test the effects of shark cartilage in patients with a type of lung cancer. More than 700 patients with non-small cell lung cancer will be recruited at about 50 research sites in the United States and Canada. The study will examine whether chemotherapy plus radiation therapy is more effective when combined with shark cartilage.

The shark cartilage used in the trial is an extract made from dogfish shark called Neovastat. Over-the-counter shark cartilage supplements are made from powdered shark cartilage. The Federal Trade Commission has cracked down on companies promoting the powdered shark cartilage as a cancer cure.

The extract appears to have some impact on certain cancers, with earlier studies indicating that it helps shrink or slow the growth of non-small cell lung cancer. Known as an angiogenesis inhibitor, the extract works by preventing tumor cells from forming new blood vessels necessary for their growth and development. Preliminary studies also indicated that the extract had only minimal side effects.

Neovastat, manufactured by Aeterna Laboratories of Quebec, is also being tested on renal cell carcinoma and multiple myeloma. NCI researchers, however, say they are enthusiastic about this latest study because there is an urgent need for improved treatments for patients with locally advanced non-small cell lung cancer.