The role of your cancer health professional is to create an environment of openness and trust, and to help in making informed decisions about alternative/ complementary therapies. Collaboration will improve the safe integration of all therapies during your experience with cancer. The "Summary" and "Professional Evaluation/ Critique" sections of this Unconventional Therapies manual are cited directly from the medical literature, and are intended to help in the objective evaluation of alternative/ complementary therapies.
Summary
"There is no scientific evidence that Burton's methods cure cancer or prolong life in cancer patients. Moreover, an important tenet of his theory, that tumors produce 'blocks' that hide cancer cells from the immune system, has been proven false." (Cassileth)
"After studying the literature and other available information, the American Cancer Society has found no evidence that the "immuno-augmentative therapy (IAT)" advocated by Lawrence Burton, PhD, is safe or results in objective benefit in the treatment of cancer. Lacking such evidence, the American Cancer Society strongly urges individuals with cancer not to seek such treatment." (CA 1991)
Description/ Source/ Components
"IAT consists of a mixture of four components, which are proteins and tumor antibodies derived by centrifuge from the pooled blood of other health donors. Patients receive daily injections of this compound. The goal of IAT is to balance four blood protein components in the belief that this balance enables the immune system to fight cancer most effectively." (Cassileth)
"IAT involves injecting the patient with various blood products that have been extracted from the patient's own blood, then refined and processed." (Ontario)
"The basis of IAT is the measurement of four blood sera and the subcutaneous introduction of three of the sera essential to correcting the immunosuppression manifested in patients with cancer." The three sera components administered to patients are; tumor necrosis factor (TNF), tumor complement factor (TCF), and de-blocking protein factor (DPF). Blocking protein factor (BPF) is measured but not administered to patients. (Immunology Researching Centre)
The prescription of IAT given to patients is "based solely on the evaluation of the patient's immune status, the status of tumor activity, and the effects of previous IAT." (Green)
"The use of various organ extracts from cows and pigs is claimed to selectively suppress tumors, stimulate defense cells, and revitalize several tissues." (Spencer)
Immunoaugmentative therapy (IAT), advocated by Lawrence Burton, PhD., is disallowed in the U.S. except for Oklahoma and Florida. IAT is available at Immunology Researching Centre, Ltd., Freeport, Grand Bahama Island, Bahamas. (CA 1984)
"Patients may expect to remain at the clinic for four to eight weeks at their first visit, and must return periodically for additional diagnosis and treatment... The patient receiving immunoaugmentative therapy must plan to remain in Freeport (as an outpatient) for eight to twelve weeks, and must return for a two-week monitoring period every four to six months thereafter." (Fink 1997)
History
Immunoaugmentative Therapy (IAT) was developed by Lawrence Burton, Ph.D., a cancer researcher at St. Vincent's Hospital in New York City... Burton established his own clinic on Long Island and then moved to Freeport, Grand Bahamas, in 1977. He patented the ideas behind IAT and refused to share or discuss them with other cancer researchers, making his claims particularly difficult to evaluate." (Cassileth)
Burton received his PhD from New York University in 1955; his Doctoral Dissertation was entitled "Carcinogenic activity of larval donor extracts in Drosophila". From 1955-57 he worked at the California Institute of Technology; from 1959 he worked at the Hodgkin's Disease Research Laboratory, St. Vincent's Hospital, New York City. (CA 1984)
Burton was forced to leave Great Neck because the U.S. Food and Drug Administration continued to refuse to grant permission to conduct clinical trials of an immunological approach to the treatment of cancer patients. (Null)
"In July 1985, the Bahamian government ordered the IRC closed. Subsequent to the closing, live competent human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) was repeatedly isolated from one of the IAT samples." (Green)
The IRC reopened in March 1986 after it acquired equipment to test for the AIDS and hepatitis B viruses. (CA 1991)
"Burton died in 1993. Despite this and the absence of evidence that IAT can cure cancer by 'augmenting' the immune system, the Burton clinic remains open." (Cassileth)
Proponent/ Advocate Claims
"According to Dr. Burton's theory, when the four blood protein components are balanced, the body should be able to subdue cancer cells as part of its normal activity; but if any of the components are out of balance, the body cannot adequately defend itself." (Diamond)
"Burton claimed that IAT's tumor antibodies fight cancer while its protein removes a 'blocking factor' that prevents the immune system from recognizing and fighting cancer cells." (Cassileth)
Tumor necrosis factor induces the tumor antibodies to destroy the tumor cells. Tumor complement factor induces the formation of antibodies. It completes the reaction to kill tumor cells. De-blocking protein factor counteracts the body's natural blocking protein. The important balance of tumor kill rate is maintained by de-blocking protein factor. It neutralizes the blocking protein and thereby permits antibodies to destroy tumor cells in a regulated manner. Blocking protein actors are produced by the body. They shield the tumor cells from attack by the tumor antibodies and thereby regulate the rate of tumor kill. (Immunology Research Centre)
"While each cancer is unique to the patient who has it, what is common is a deficiency in the immune system that ordinarily would keep cancer from going out of control. IAT treats the immune system, not cancer, by bringing the body's natural defense system back into balance... The restoration of the natural immune system allows the patient's own body to heal itself." (Immunology Research Centre)
"The treatments are totally non-toxic and completely without any unpleasant side effects. Allegations have been made of possible contamination of our sera, these were totally disproved at a congressional inquiry and persistent negative statements about these allegations have now all been withdrawn by such bodies as NCI & ACS." (Clement)
In the early sixties, "the team of Burton, Antonio Rottino, Frank Friedman, Robert Kassell, John Harris found natural substances that were able to cause remissions of better than one in two in leukemic mice." (Null)
"The Immunological Research Centre claims 50 percent response rates in a wide variety of tumors, including several diseases treatable by more conventional strategies (previously untreated ovarian, prostate, and small-cell lung cancer, histiocytic lymphoma, and acute leukemias)." (Curt)
"The survival rate of Dr. Burton's patients approximately doubled the maximum survival rate of conventionally treated patients. As all patients had metastatic cancers, these IAT-induced survival results were particularly impressive." (Diamond)
Professional Evaluation/ Critique
"Although more than 5,000 patients were said to have been treated in the Bahamian clinic, little documentation exists of Burton's methods or results... There is no scientific evidence that Burton's methods cure cancer or prolong life in cancer patients. Moreover, an important tenet of his theory, that tumors produce 'blocks' that hide cancer cells from the immune system, has been proven false." (Cassileth)
"No studies have shown clinical effectiveness. There is an apparent decline in the popularity of this treatment." (Spencer)
"In January 1978, the Pan American Health Organization reported to the Bahamian Ministry of Health that they found violations of the conditions for admission, treatment, and evaluation of patients, the nature and composition of the treatment materials could not be determined, there was no evidence that objective criteria were used in evaluating the effectiveness of IAT, and no survival data were available to them." (CA 1991) (Green)
"No independent analysis of IAT treatment materials has been carried out on samples provided by Burton. Nor has Burton published any results of analyses he has done on the nature and contents of the protein fractions he says he uses to treat patients." (Barrett)
"There is no scientific evidence concerning the safety or efficacy of IAT." (Holden)
Although the statements by proponents roughly coincide with some prevailing immunological theories, "no data has ever been offered to support the alleged relation to their product." (Martin)
"The precise details of the method of biological preparation is kept secret, and, therefore, only its promoters can make it up for distribution." (Martin)
In 1978 a representative from the National Cancer Institute (NCI) of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services found clinic records were inadequate to evaluate - Dr. Burton neither revealed the composition of the treatment materials nor the method of preparing them. (CA 1984)
In 1984 "National Cancer Institute (NCI) offered to screen Dr. Burton's materials to evaluate its antitumor properties." NCI also suggested possible collaboration and approaches for evaluating his methods. Dr. Burton has not divulged "the composition of the treatment materials or preparation methods therefore, the NCI is prevented from participating in human trials since the NCI would not know what is being tested." (CA 1984)
Toxicity/ Risks
"Some patients have developed abscesses at the injection site." (Ontario)
"There have been claims made that some samples of the blood products used in IAT were contaminated with bacteria, hepatitis and HIV." (Ontario)
"Patients receiving immunosuppressives in preparation for organ transplantation have been reported to be at higher risk for disseminated Nocardia infections, and it is likely that oncology patients, such as those attending this immunotherapy clinic, are also at higher risk." (MMWR 1984)
"A 1984 analysis by National Cancer Institute found that materials submitted by the family of a deceased IAT patient were dilute blood proteins, the major component of which was albumin. None of the materials were electrophoretically pure and all fractions were devoid of the four compounds described by Burton as being essential to activity, according to an article published in the "Journal of the American Medical Assn." (Cancer Letter 1990)
Costs
"The cost of immunoaugmentative therapy is $7,500 for the first four weeks, and $700 a week thereafter, for up to eight weeks." (Fink, 1997)
References
Barrett S, Cassileth BR, editors. Dubious cancer treatment. Tampa, Florida: American Cancer Society, Florida Division, 1991:63-71.
CA (Anonymous). Immuno-augmentative therapy (IAT). CA: a Cancer Journal for Clinicians 1991 Nov/Dec;41(6):357-364.
CA (Anonymous). Unproven methods of cancer management: immuno-augmentative therapy. CA: a Cancer Journal for Clinicians 1984;34(4):232-237.
Cancer Letter (Anonymous). Cancer Letter 1990;16(6):5.
Cassileth BR. Alternative medicine handbook: a complete reference guide to alternative and complementary therapies. New York: W.W. Norton & Co., 1998:163-64.
Clement J. Letter to BC Cancer Agency Cancer Information Centre. (BCCA Cancer Information Centre search file 795) 1998 July
Curt GA. Warning on immunoaugmentative therapy (letter). N Engl J Med 1984;311(13):859.
Diamond WJ, et al. An alternative medicine definitive guide to cancer. Tiburon: Future Medicine Publishing, Inc., 1997:885.
Fink JM. Third opinion: an international directory to alternative therapy centers for the treatment and prevention of cancer and other degenerative diseases. 3rd ed. Garden City Park, New York: Avery Publishing Group Inc., 1997:97-98.
Green S. Immunoaugmentative therapy: an unproven cancer treatment. JAMA 1993 Oct 13;270(14):1719-1723.
Holden C. NCI may evaluate "alternative therapy." Science 1988 Sept 9;241:1285-1286.
Immunology Researching Centre: IAT brochure. (BC Cancer Information Centre search file 795).
Martin DS et al. Ineffective cancer therapy: a guide for the layperson. J Clin Oncol 1983;1:154-163.
MMWR (Anonymous). Cutaneous nocardiosis in cancer patients receiving immunotherapy injections - Bahamas. MMWR 1984;33:471-472,477.
Null G, Steinman, L. The politics of cancer: suppression of new cancer therapies: Dr. Lawrence Burton. Penthouse 1977:75-76,188-197.
Ontario Breast Cancer Information Exchange Project. Guide to unconventional cancer therapies. 1st ed. Toronto: Ontario Breast Cancer Information Exchange Project, 1994:300-303.
Spencer JW, Jacobs JJ. Complementary/alternative medicine: an evidence based approach. Toronto: Mosby, 1999:149.
Revised February 2000