What are antineoplastons?
Antineoplastons are a group of chemical compounds that are found normally in urine and blood. They are made mostly of amino acids (the building blocks of proteins) and peptides (compounds made of two or more amino acids).
Antineoplaston therapy was developed by Stanislaw R. Burzynski, MD, PhD. He proposed that there must be a process in the body that controls how a cell develops, and that this process fails when a cell divides endlessly and develops into a tumor. He suggested that certain natural substances, which he named "antineoplastons," switch an abnormal cell back onto the path of normal development. Since peptides are considered to be the carriers of instructions in the body, he began looking for peptides that may be present in the blood of cancer patients. After comparing the blood of healthy people to the blood of people with cancer, Dr. Burzynski found that people with cancer have lower amounts of a certain group of chemicals. He found these same chemicals in urine and suggested that some of these chemicals can be used to stop certain cancer cells from dividing.
What are the potential benefits of antineoplastons?
According to Dr. Burzynski, when enough antineoplastons are not in a person's body, abnormal cells form without ways to correct it. Tumors can then form and grow. Dr. Burzynski says that antineoplaston therapy provides substances necessary to correct cell abnormality.
Published information about antineoplastons includes preclinical (laboratory) research, phase I and II clinical trials, and case reports. No phase III trials have been conducted and published.
As with the evaluation process for any cancer treatment protocol, fully informed decisions must be made. Learn more about this research process through Questions for Evaluating Cancer Treatments and Providers.
What is the history of antineoplatons?
Antineoplastins were developed by Dr. Burzynski in 1967.
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