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Antineoplaston Therapy for Multiple Myeloma: What Does the Evidence Show?
Antineoplaston Therapy for Multiple Myeloma: What Does the Evidence Show? Antineoplaston therapy (ANP), developed by Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski, is an experimental cancer therapy that I underwent after my multiple myeloma became refractory to conventional treatment. I subsequently entered complete remission.
Yes, having achieved complete remission from my end-stage MM in 1999, I am still cancer-free.
But my experience raises a much harder question: Is there scientific evidence that antineoplaston therapy is effective against multiple myeloma?
The answer is complicated. Burzynski-associated data have reported responses among small numbers of myeloma patients, but no randomized controlled trials are demonstrating that antineoplaston therapy improves remission, progression-free survival or overall survival in multiple myeloma. The National Cancer Institute considers the overall evidence for antineoplastons in cancer inconclusive.
What Did Burzynski Report in Multiple Myeloma? According to the table at the bottom of this post.
| Burzynski-reported result | Multiple myeloma |
|---|---|
| Evaluable patients | 21 |
| Objective response | 36% |
| Stable disease | 43% |
| Source | Burzynski Clinic data |
PeopleBeatingCancer Evidence Rating: ANP for Multiple Myeloma
| Evidence | What we have | PBC rating |
|---|---|---|
| Biological/preclinical rationale | Antineoplastons have been studied experimentally | 🟡 Limited |
| Individual MM experience | David’s long-term remission following ANP | 🟡 Anecdotal |
| Burzynski Clinic MM patient data | 21 evaluable patients; responses reported | 🟡 Preliminary/uncontrolled |
| Published MM case reports | Very limited/unclear | 🔴 Insufficient |
| Peer-reviewed MM clinical trials | No convincing disease-specific trial identified | 🔴 Insufficient |
| Independent replication in MM | Not established | 🔴 Insufficient |
| Randomized controlled MM trial | None identified | 🔴 None |
| FDA approval for MM | No | 🔴 None |
| Overall evidence for ANP in MM | Insufficient to establish efficacy | 🔴 Limited/Experimental |
My Experience With ANP and Refractory Multiple Myeloma
1994 — diagnosed with MM
↓
Conventional therapy
↓
ASCT / radiation / other treatment
↓
Relapsed/refractory disease
↓
1997 — began ANP
↓
1999 — completed ANP / complete remission
↓
Long-term remission
My remission is an important part of why I continue to research antineoplaston therapy. But an individual outcome—even an extraordinary long-term outcome—cannot establish that ANP caused the remission or predict what will happen to another patient.
Long-Term Multiple Myeloma Survivor: My Diagnosis, Prognosis, Treatment, and Remission Story
In my own experience, ANP caused substantially fewer side effects than the conventional chemotherapy I underwent. That does not mean ANP is risk-free. Reported adverse effects include:
Side effects of antineoplaston therapy range from mild symptoms to severe neurological complications. Documented adverse reactions include confusion, sleepiness, seizures, high blood pressure, and swelling near the brain. [1, 2, 3, 4, 5]
Does Antineoplaston Therapy Work for Multiple Myeloma?
We don’t currently have enough high-quality clinical evidence to say that it does.
Burzynski Clinic data have reported responses among a small group of multiple myeloma patients, and I personally entered complete remission after undergoing ANP for refractory MM. Those observations are worth documenting and investigating.
However, neither establishes efficacy. I have not found randomized controlled trials demonstrating that ANP improves progression-free survival or overall survival in multiple myeloma, nor convincing independent clinical replication of the reported MM results.
Therefore, PeopleBeatingCancer considers antineoplaston therapy for multiple myeloma experimental and supported by limited clinical evidence.
My personal experience is part of the evidence story—but it is not the same thing as clinical proof.
If you have any questions, let me know.
Thanks and hang in there,
David Emerson
- MM Survivor
- MM Cancer Coach
- Director PeopleBeatingCancer
Possible Therapies-
- Radiation for Cancer: What Patients Need to Know
- Surgery for Cancer: What Patients Need to Know
- Immunotherapy for Cancer: What Patients Need to Know Before, During, and After Treatment
- Evidence-Based, Non-Conventional Multiple Myeloma Therapies: What Patients Should Know
- Dara-KRd for Multiple Myeloma: Side Effects, Integrative Therapies, and Recovery
Recommended Reading:
- Curcumin vs. Multiple Myeloma: The scientific evidence continues to pile up
- Cannabidiol (CBD) as Multiple Myeloma therapy-
- Autologous Stem Cell Transplant- NO OVERALL SURVIVAL for Myeloma
PERSONALIZED TREATMENT AT BURZYNSKI CLINIC
Comparison of Responses in 20 selected most common cancers (as of September 21, 2015)
|
Diagnosis
|
No. of patients
|
OR (%)
|
SD (%)
|
PD (%)
|
|
Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
|
131
|
64
|
26
|
10
|
|
Breast Cancer
|
433
|
62
|
23
|
15
|
|
Carcinoma of unknown primary
|
42
|
57
|
36
|
7
|
|
Prostate Cancer
|
322
|
53
|
38
|
9
|
|
Ovarian Cancer
|
99
|
51
|
29
|
20
|
|
Head and Neck Cancer
|
87
|
51
|
29
|
20
|
|
Colon Cancer
|
229
|
51
|
28
|
21
|
|
Hodgkin’s Disease
|
16
|
50
|
38
|
12
|
|
Kidney Cancer
|
41
|
49
|
34
|
17
|
|
Malignant melanoma
|
63
|
49
|
21
|
30
|
|
Lung Cancer
|
179
|
46
|
33
|
21
|
|
Urinary Bladder and Urothelial Cancer
|
39
|
45
|
32
|
23
|
|
Esophageal and Stomach Cancer
|
55
|
44
|
29
|
27
|
|
Liver Cancer
|
20
|
40
|
25
|
35
|
|
Uterine, Cervix, Vulvar, Endometrium
|
51
|
39
|
31
|
30
|
|
Brain Tumor
|
189
|
37
|
39
|
24
|
|
Multiple Myeloma
|
21
|
36
|
43
|
|
|
Biliary Tract Tumor
|
20
|
30
|
40
|
30
|
|
Pancreatic Cancer
|
55
|
24
|
51
|
25
|
|
Mesothelioma
|
17
|
24
|
41
|
35
|
Data based on medical records of 2,280 evaluable patients
DEFINITIONS:
OR: Objective Response – includes CR and PR.
CR: Complete Response. Complete disappearance of all signs of cancer in response to treatment of 4 weeks or longer.
PR: Partial Response. More than 50% decrease in the size of the tumors in response to treatment of 4 weeks or longer.
SD: Stable Disease. No decrease or increase in the size of the tumors, but no progression, in response to treatment of 12 weeks or longer.
PD: Progressive Disease. More then 50% increase in size of the tumors (the sum of cross-sectional area of the tumors), in response to treatment of 4 weeks or longer.
Evaluable Patients. Patients who remained on treatment long enough to enable an objective evaluation of the response
Recommended Reading
To Learn More About Antineoplaston Therapy:
- Antineoplaston Therapy / Burzynski: What Cancer Patients Need to Know
- Antineoplaston Therapy for Multiple Myeloma: What Does the Evidence Show?
- Antineoplaston Therapy for Brain Cancer: Evidence and Clinical Studies
- Antineoplaston Therapy for End-Stage Cancer: Questions to Consider
- My Experience With Antineoplaston Therapy
To learn more about managing multiple myeloma:
- Multiple Myeloma — What Patients Need to Know
- Newly Diagnosed Multiple Myeloma
- Multiple Myeloma Treatment
- Multiple Myeloma Second Opinion
- Integrative Oncology
- Complementary Cancer Therapies
- Non-conventional Cancer Treatments
- Multiple Myeloma Diet
- Multiple Myeloma Supplementation
- Cancer Coaching
To Learn More About Cancer Management:
- Cancer clinical trials
- Financial toxicity
- Alternative cancer treatments
- Integrative oncology
- Second opinions