Cansema
Encyclopedia
Cansema is a brand name of a popular alternative cancer treatment. The product is commonly classified as an escharotic—that is, a topical paste which burns and destroys skin tissue and leaves behind a thick, black scar called an eschar
. Escharotics were widely used to treat skin lesions in the early 1900s, but have since been replaced by safer and more effective treatments such as Mohs surgery
. Escharotics such as Cansema are currently advertised by some alternative medicine
marketers as treatments for skin cancer
, often with unsubstantiated testimonial
s and unproven claims of effectiveness. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration listed Cansema as a "fake cancer cure" and warned consumers to avoid it.
in a 1955 Time
article:
More recent reports document the ongoing marketing of escharotics via the Internet as purported "cures" for skin cancer.
Cansema and other escharotics are not recommended as treatments for skin lesions or skin cancer. The effectiveness of escharotics is unproven, and much safer and more effective alternatives exist, such as Mohs surgery
. Escharotics can cause serious scarring and damage to normal skin. Their manufacture is largely unregulated, so the strength and purity of marketed products are unknown and unverified. Numerous reports in the medical literature describe serious consequences of using escharotics in place of standard treatments for skin cancer, ranging from disfigurement to preventable cancer recurrences.
The website Quackwatch
posted a warning against the use of escharotics in 2008. The site collected a variety of sourced documents compiling issues of patient injury from the use of escharotics.
Common ingredients of black salves include zinc chloride
, chapparal (or Larrea tridentata). and often bloodroot
, a plant which has numerous uses in herbal medicine.
The extract of bloodroot
is called sanguinarine
, an ammonium salt which attacks and destroys living tissue and is also classified as an escharotic.
s. The FDA has taken enforcement action against illegal marketing of Cansema as a cancer cure, as in the 2004 arrest and conviction of Greg Caton
.
The FDA has taken an active role in the banning of these chemicals for use as a cancer cure. Typical warning letters detail the dangers of this product while also admonishing the purveyors of their obligation to comply with federal law. Summaries of recent letters are cataloged on the FDA website.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration
(TGA) of Australia has banned Cansema for human use In Australia.
Eschar
An eschar is a slough or piece of dead tissue that is cast off from the surface of the skin, particularly after a burn injury, but also seen in gangrene, ulcer, fungal infections, necrotizing spider bite wounds, and exposure to cutaneous anthrax....
. Escharotics were widely used to treat skin lesions in the early 1900s, but have since been replaced by safer and more effective treatments such as Mohs surgery
Mohs surgery
Mohs surgery, also known as chemosurgery, created by a general surgeon, Dr. Frederic E. Mohs, is microscopically controlled surgery used to treat common types of skin cancer. It is one of the many methods of obtaining complete margin control during removal of a skin cancer using frozen section...
. Escharotics such as Cansema are currently advertised by some alternative medicine
Alternative medicine
Alternative medicine is any healing practice, "that does not fall within the realm of conventional medicine." It is based on historical or cultural traditions, rather than on scientific evidence....
marketers as treatments for skin cancer
Skin cancer
Skin neoplasms are skin growths with differing causes and varying degrees of malignancy. The three most common malignant skin cancers are basal cell cancer, squamous cell cancer, and melanoma, each of which is named after the type of skin cell from which it arises...
, often with unsubstantiated testimonial
Testimonial
In promotion and of advertising, a testimonial or show consists of a written or spoken statement, sometimes from a person figure, sometimes from a private citizen, extolling the virtue of some product. The term "testimonial" most commonly applies to the sales-pitches attributed to ordinary...
s and unproven claims of effectiveness. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration listed Cansema as a "fake cancer cure" and warned consumers to avoid it.
Usages and Dangers
Cancer salves were first documented as a form of quackeryQuackery
Quackery is a derogatory term used to describe the promotion of unproven or fraudulent medical practices. Random House Dictionary describes a "quack" as a "fraudulent or ignorant pretender to medical skill" or "a person who pretends, professionally or publicly, to have skill, knowledge, or...
in a 1955 Time
Time (magazine)
Time is an American news magazine. A European edition is published from London. Time Europe covers the Middle East, Africa and, since 2003, Latin America. An Asian edition is based in Hong Kong...
article:
More recent reports document the ongoing marketing of escharotics via the Internet as purported "cures" for skin cancer.
Cansema and other escharotics are not recommended as treatments for skin lesions or skin cancer. The effectiveness of escharotics is unproven, and much safer and more effective alternatives exist, such as Mohs surgery
Mohs surgery
Mohs surgery, also known as chemosurgery, created by a general surgeon, Dr. Frederic E. Mohs, is microscopically controlled surgery used to treat common types of skin cancer. It is one of the many methods of obtaining complete margin control during removal of a skin cancer using frozen section...
. Escharotics can cause serious scarring and damage to normal skin. Their manufacture is largely unregulated, so the strength and purity of marketed products are unknown and unverified. Numerous reports in the medical literature describe serious consequences of using escharotics in place of standard treatments for skin cancer, ranging from disfigurement to preventable cancer recurrences.
The website Quackwatch
Quackwatch
Quackwatch is an American non-profit organization founded by Stephen Barrett with the stated aim being to "combat health-related frauds, myths, fads, fallacies, and misconduct" and with a primary focus on providing "quackery-related information that is difficult or impossible to get elsewhere."...
posted a warning against the use of escharotics in 2008. The site collected a variety of sourced documents compiling issues of patient injury from the use of escharotics.
Common ingredients of black salves include zinc chloride
Zinc chloride
Zinc chloride is the name of chemical compound with the formula ZnCl2 and its hydrates. Zinc chlorides, of which nine crystalline forms are known, are colorless or white, and are highly soluble in water. ZnCl2 itself is hygroscopic and even deliquescent. Samples should therefore be protected from...
, chapparal (or Larrea tridentata). and often bloodroot
Bloodroot
Bloodroot is a perennial, herbaceous flowering plant native to eastern North America from Nova Scotia, Canada southward to Florida, United States...
, a plant which has numerous uses in herbal medicine.
The extract of bloodroot
Bloodroot
Bloodroot is a perennial, herbaceous flowering plant native to eastern North America from Nova Scotia, Canada southward to Florida, United States...
is called sanguinarine
Sanguinarine
Sanguinarine is a quaternary ammonium salt from the group of benzylisoquinoline alkaloids. It is extracted from some plants, including bloodroot , Mexican prickly poppy Argemone mexicana, Chelidonium majus and Macleaya cordata. It is also found in the root, stem and leaves of the opium poppy but...
, an ammonium salt which attacks and destroys living tissue and is also classified as an escharotic.
Regulation
Cansema is listed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as one of 187 fake cancer cures. Cansema continues to be marketed by numerous individuals, as referenced by recent FDA Warning LetterFDA Warning Letter
The United States Food and Drug Adminstration defines a Warning Letter as "...a correspondence that notifies regulated industry about violations that FDA has documented during its inspections or investigations...
s. The FDA has taken enforcement action against illegal marketing of Cansema as a cancer cure, as in the 2004 arrest and conviction of Greg Caton
Greg Caton
Gregory James Caton is an American businessman, inventor, manufacturer and promoter of various herbal products, the main one being Cansema which is claimed to cure skin cancer, although the U.S. Food and Drug Administration banned it in 2003 as worthless...
.
The FDA has taken an active role in the banning of these chemicals for use as a cancer cure. Typical warning letters detail the dangers of this product while also admonishing the purveyors of their obligation to comply with federal law. Summaries of recent letters are cataloged on the FDA website.
The Therapeutic Goods Administration
Therapeutic Goods Administration
The Therapeutic Goods Administration is the regulatory body for therapeutic goods in Australia . It is a Division of the Australian Department of Health and Ageing established under the Therapeutic Goods Act 1989 ...
(TGA) of Australia has banned Cansema for human use In Australia.
External links
- Cancer Salves: American Cancer SocietyAmerican Cancer SocietyThe American Cancer Society is the "nationwide community-based voluntary health organization" dedicated, in their own words, "to eliminating cancer as a major health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives, and diminishing suffering from cancer, through research, education, advocacy, and...
- Escharotics information: New Zealand Dermatological Society
- Bloodroot:Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center Herbal Database. Web accessed 10 JUN 10
Further reading
- Hurley D. Natural Causes: Death, Lies, and Politics in America's Vitamin and Herbal Supplement Industry. New York: Broadway Books, 2006. ISBN 0767920422