7/4/2007 Houston, TX MD Anderson Cancer Center CancerWise.com Shark cartilage, long rumored to have anti-cancer properties, has shown to be of no value as a therapeutic agent when combined with chemotherapy and radiation in patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer, researchers say. Significance of results: Results of the trial involving the shark cartilage extract AE-941 (Neovastat) were announced June 2 at the 43rd annual meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO). “This is the first large Phase III randomized trial of shark cartilage as a cancer agent," says Charles Lu, M.D., an associate professor in M. D. Anderson’s Department of Thoracic/Head and Neck Medical Oncology and the national study's principal investigator. “Clearly, these results demonstrate that AE-941 is not an effective therapeutic agent for lung cancer. So, too, these findings have to cast major skepticism on shark cartilage products that are being sold for profit and have no data to support their efficacy as a cancer-fighting agent.” Research methods: The international Phase III study enrolled 384 patients with newly diagnosed, untreated Stage III non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) at 53 sites in the United States and in Canada from June 2000 to February 2006. M. D. Anderson enrolled 60 patients in the trial. Study participants received the standard treatment of chemotherapy and radiation therapy. In addition, they received four ounces of shark cartilage or a placebo, both in liquid form, each day during and after standard therapy. Primary results: Researchers say the shark cartilage extract studied did [...]