America’s interest in shark cartilage as a cancer therapy began in 1993 after a TV report on Cuban research that claimed patients with advanced cancer went into remission after treatment with the compound.But a new study finds that the risks associated with shark cartilage outweigh any possible benefits it might have in treating advanced breast or colorectal cancer.A study to be published in the July 1 issue of Cancer found no difference in overall survival or quality of life between patients who took shark cartilage and those who took a placebo. In fact, toxicity related to taking shark cartilage caused a significant number of patients to drop out of the study after just one month.
