A considerable number of patients with cancer have used or are using the Gerson therapy, an alleged anticancer metabolic diet. However, there is almost no scientific support for this regimen. Hence, the present case review study of 6 patients with metastatic cancer who used the Gerson therapy aims at critically evaluating each case to derive some valid interpretations of its potential effect. All 6 cases had a cancer diagnosis with poor prognosis. Despite the presence of some confounding variables, it seems that the Gerson regimen has supported patients to some extent both physically and psychologically. More scientific attention needs to be directed to this area so that patients can practice safe and appropriate therapies that are based on evidence rather than anecdotes.
Gerson M. Dietary considerations in malignant neoplastic disease: a preliminary report. Rev Gastroenterol. 1945;12: 419-425.
2.
Questionable methods of cancer management: “nutritional” therapies. CA: Cancer J Clin. 1993;43:309-319.
3.
Bishop B. Organic food in cancer therapy. Nutr Health. 1988;6:105-109.
4.
Unproven methods of cancer management: Gerson method. CA: Cancer J Clin. 1990;40:252-256.
5.
Gerson M. A Cancer Therapy: Results of Fifty Cases. 3rd ed.San Diego, Calif: Gerson Institute; 2002.
6.
Gerson M. The cure of advanced cancer by diet therapy: a summary of 30 years of clinical experimentation. Physiol Chem Phys. 1978;10:449-464.
7.
Hildenbrand GL, Hildenbrand LC, Bradford K, Cavin SW. Five-year survival rates of melanoma patients treated by diet therapy after the manner of Gerson: a retrospective review. Altern Ther Health Med. 1995;1(4):29-37.
8.
Lechner P, Kronberger I. Erfahrungen mit dem Einsatz der Diät-Therapie in der chirurgischen Onkologie. Aktuelle Ernährungsmedizin. 1990;2(15):72-78.
9.
Reed A, James N, Sikora K. Juices, coffee enemas, and cancer. Lancet. 1990;336:677-678.
10.
Lukoff D, Edwards D, Miller M. The case study as a scientific method for researching alternative therapies. Altern Ther Health Med. 1998;4(2):44-52.
11.
Milella M, Salvetti M, Cerrotta A, et al. Interventional radiology and radiotherapy for inoperable cholangiocarcinoma of the extrahepatic bile ducts. Tumori. 1998;84:467-471.
12.
Prat F, Chapat O, Ducot B, et al. Predictive factors for survival of patients with inoperable malignant distal biliary strictures: a practical management guideline. Gut. 1998;42:76-80.
13.
Werner A, Bender E, Mahaffey W, McKeating J, Marrangoni A, Katoh A. Inhibition of experimental liver metastasis by combined treatment with tamoxifen and interferon. Anticancer Drugs. 1996;7:307-311.
14.
Chabot J, Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at Columbia University. Prospective cohort study of gemcitabine versus intensive pancreatic proteolytic enzyme therapy with ancillary nutritional support (Gonzalez regimen) in patients with stage II, III, or IV adenocarcinoma of the pancreas. CPMC-IRB-8544, Clinical trial. Available at: http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/gonzalez/Patient/page2/print.
15.
Morton DL, Davtyan DG, Wanek LA, Foshag LJ, Cochran AJ. Multivariate analysis of the relationship between survival and the microstage of primary melanoma by Clarke level and Beslow thickness. Cancer. 1993;71:3737-3743.
16.
Galea MH, Blamey RW, Elston CE, Ellis IO. The Nottingham Prognostic Index in primary breast cancer. Breast Cancer Res Treat. 1992;22:207-219.
17.
Balslev I, Axelsson CK, Zedeler K, Rasmussen BB, Carstensen B, Mourisden HT. The Nottingham Prognostic Index applied to 9,149 patients from the studies of the Danish breast cancer cooperative group (DBCG). Breast Cancer Res Treat. 1994;32: 281-290.
18.
D'Eredita G, Giardina C, Martellotta M, Natale T, Ferrarese F. Prognostic factors in breast cancer: the predictive value of the Nottingham Prognostic Index in patients with long-term follow-up that were treated in a single institution. Eur J Cancer. 2001;37:591-596.
19.
Selzner M, Morse MA, Vredenburgh JJ, Meyers WC, Clavien PA. Liver metastases from breast cancer: long-term survival after curative resection. Surgery. 2000;127:383-389.
20.
American Cancer Society. What are the key statistics about non-Hodgkin lymphoma? Available at: http://www.cancer.org/docroot/CRI/content/CRI_2_4_1X_What_are_the_key_statistics_for_non-Hodgkins_lymphoma_32.asp?sitearea=. Accessed December 4, 2006.
21.
Seidemann K, Tiemann M, Schrappe M, et al. Short-pulse B-non-Hodgkin lymphoma-type chemotherapy is efficacious treatment for pediatric anaplastic large cell lymphoma: a report of the Berlin-Frankfurt-Munster group trial NHL-BFM 90. Blood. 2001;97:3699-3706.
22.
Massimino M, Gasparini M, Giardini R. Ki-1 (CD30) anaplastic large-cell lymphoma in children. Ann Oncol. 1995;6:915-920.
23.
Blay J, Gomez F, Sebban C, et al. The International Prognostic Index correlates to survival in patients with aggressive lymphoma in relapse: analysis of the PARMA trial. Parma Group. Blood. 1998;92:3562-3568.
24.
Johns Hopkins Medicine. Stereotactic radiosurgery. Available at: http://www.radonc.jhmi.edu/radiosurgery/disorders/glioma.html. Accessed December 4, 2006.
25.
Fischbach AJ, Martz KL, Nelson JS, et al. Long-term survival in treated anaplastic astrocytomas: a report of combined RTOG/ECOG studies. Am J Clin Oncol. 1991;14:365-370.
26.
Richting E, Ludwig R, Kerl H, Smolle J. Organ- and treatment-specific local response rates to systemic and local treatment modalities in stage IV melanoma. Br J Dermatol. 2005; 153:925-931.
27.
Moss RW. Tijuana cancer clinics in the post-NAFTA era. Integr Cancer Ther. 2005;4:65-86.
28.
Cope FW. A medical application of the Ling association-induction hypothesis: the high potassium, low sodium diet of the Gerson cancer therapy. Physiol Chem Phys. 1978;10:465-468.
29.
McCarthy MF. Aldosterone and the Gerson diet: a speculation. Med Hypotheses. 1981;7:591-597.
30.
Richards BA. The enzyme knife: a renewed direction for cancer therapy?J R Soc Med. 1988;81:284-285.
31.
Molassiotis A, Fernadez-Ortega P, Pud D, et al. Use of complementary and alternative medicine in cancer patients: a European survey. Ann Oncol. 2005;16:655-663.
32.
Spiegel D, Bloom JR, Kraemer H, Gottheil E. Effect of psychosocial treatment on survival of patients with metastatic breast cancer. Lancet. 1989;2:888-901.
33.
Fawzy FI, Fawzy NW, Hyun CS, et al. Malignant melanoma: effects of an early structured psychiatric intervention, coping, and affective state on recurrence and survival 6 years later. Arch Gen Psychiatry. 1993;50:681-689.
34.
Walker LG, Heys SD, Eremin O. Surviving cancer: do psychosocial factors count?J Psychosom Res. 1999;47:497-503.
35.
Goodwin PJ. Support groups in advanced breast cancer. Cancer. 2005;104(11 suppl):2596-2601.
36.
Weitzman S. Alternative nutritional cancer therapies. Int J Cancer Suppl. 1998;11:69-72.
37.
Levi F. Cancer prevention: epidemiology and perspectives. Eur J Cancer. 1999;7:1046-1058.
38.
Willet WC. Diet, nutrition and avoidable cancer. Environ Health Perspect. 1995;103(suppl 8):165-170.
39.
Willet WC. Diet and cancer: one view at the start of millennium. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 2001;10:3-8.
40.
Rock C, Newman V, Flatt S, et al. Nutrient intakes from foods and dietary supplements in women at risk of breast cancer recurrence. Nutr Cancer. 1997;29:133-139.
41.
Rock CL, Demark-Wahnefield W. Nutrition and survival after the diagnosis of breast cancer: a review of evidence. J Clin Oncol. 2002;20:3302-3316.
42.
Pierce JP, Faerber S, Wright FA, et al. Feasibility of randomized trial of a high-vegetable diet to prevent breast cancer recurrence. Nutr Cancer. 1997;28:282-288.
43.
Wynder EL, Cohen LA, Muscat JE, Winters B, Dwyer JT, Blackburn G. Breast cancer: weighting the evidence for a promoting role of dietary fat. J Natl Cancer Inst. 1997;89:766-775.
44.
Foster HD. Lifestyle changes and the “spontaneous” regression of cancer: an initial computer analysis. Int J Biosocial Res. 1988;10:17-33.
45.
Gonzalez NJ, Isaacs LL. Evaluation of pancreatic proteolytic enzyme treatment of adenocarcinoma of the pancreas, with nutrition and detoxification support. Nutr Cancer. 1999;33: 117-124.
46.
Richardson MA, Russell NC, Sanders T, Barrett R, Salveson C. Assessment of outcomes at alternative medicine cancer clinics: a feasibility study. J Altern Complement Med. 2001;7:1-3.
