- How It Works
- Purported Uses
- Research Evidence
- Patient Warnings
- Special Point
- Dosage (Inside MSKCC Only)
Common Name
Entelev®, Cantron®, Sheridan's formula, JS-114, JS-101, 126-F, Jim's Juice, Quantrol, Protocel®
Clinical Summary
Unproven alternative treatment containing a variety of ingredients depending on manufacturer (e.g catechol, nitric acid, sodium sulfite, potassium hydroxide, sulfuric acid, crocinic acid, and various minerals and vitamins). Patients use this product to prevent and treat cancer, HIV/AIDS, epilepsy, Alzheimer’s, and other immunologic and degenerative diseases.
Proposed by James Sheridan in the 1930s that this product balances the vibrational frequency of cancer cells and returns them to their healthy state is not supported by scientific evidence (1) (2).
Manufacturers of CanCell® discourage combining CanCell® with conventional oncology treatments (1). Patients should avoid this product.
Purported Uses
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Cancer treatment
- Cystic fibrosis
- Diabetes
- Emphysema
- Epilepsy
- Hemophilia
- Herpes
- HIV and AIDS
- Hypertension
- Hypotension
- Multiple sclerosis
- Scleroderma
- Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
- Viral infections
Constituents
- Nitric acid
- Sodium sulfite
- Potassium hydroxide
- Sulfuric acid
- Catechol
- Crocinic acid
- Inositol
- Minerals
- Vitamins
(1)
Mechanism of Action
Manufacturers of CanCell® and Cantron® offer different theories, both unfounded, explaining their products’ anticancer activities. Their use is based on the assumption that cancer cells function at a “critical point” of cellular respiration, above which normal cells function aerobically, and below which abnormal anaerobic cells are destroyed as foreign matter. The catechol component is claimed to inhibit cellular respiration in cancer cells so that they might fall from the “critical point” to a primitive state and self-destruct. In addition, CanCell® supposedly balances the vibrational frequency of cancer cells, returning them to a normal state. The manufacturers of Cantron® claim that imbalance in cellular respiration results in cellular damage. Cantron® is thought to help maintain balance through the electrolyte and antioxidant properties of its hydroxyquinone and catechol components. Neither set of claims is substantiated by scientific data.
(1) (2)
Pharmacokinetics
No formal pharmacokinetics studies exist. The manufacturer states that the product is absorbed orally, sublingually, topically, and rectally.
(1)
Literature Summary and Critique
No published human, animal, or in vitro studies evaluate CanCell® for any proposed claim. Although the manufacturers of CanCell® maintain that extensive studies in mice and humans document its efficacy (3), no results have been published in peer-reviewed journals. In 1978 and 1980, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) conducted animal studies with CanCell® and found that the product lacked significant antitumor activity. The NCI’s In Vitro Anticancer Drug Discovery Program evaluated CanCell® in 1990-1, also with negative results (1). Neither study was published. It was determined that no further research on CanCell®/Entelev® was warranted.
References
- American Cancer Society. Questionable methods of cancer management: Cancell/Entelev. Ca: Cancer J Clin 1993;43:57-62.
- Grossgebauer K. The ‘Cancell’ theory of carcinogenesis: re-evolution of an ancient, holistic neoplastic unicellular concept of cancer. Med Hypotheses 1995;45:545-55.
- Cancell Alternative Cancer Treatment Comparison. http://alternativecancer.us/cancell.htm. Accessed May 16, 2011.
How It Works
Bottom Line: Cancell® should not be used to treat or prevent cancer.
CanCell® (also called Entelev® or Cantron®) was developed by a chemist in the 1930s. Its exact ingredients are unknown, but it is thought to contain catechol (stabilizes collagen and is used in tanning and dyeing), nitric acid (an intermediate used in the manufacturing of fertilizers and explosives), sodium sulfite, potassium hydroxide (a caustic material), sulfuric acid (a corrosive liquid), crocinic acid, and various minerals and vitamins. This mixture of harsh chemicals, the manufacturers claim, is supposed to normalize the cellular metabolism and balance the vibrational frequency of cancer cells, causing them to die or return to a healthy state. Scientists from the National Cancer Institute have reviewed these theories, and have tested CanCell® in laboratory studies on cancer cells, and have concluded that CanCell® has no anticancer activity. Furthermore, the theories on which CanCell® is claimed to work are scientifically unsound; there is no proof that cancer cells, which have irreversible genetic mutations, can be “normalized” by changing their metabolism. The ingredients found in CanCell® may do more harm than good to the body.
Purported Uses
None of the following claims is supported by scientific evidence.
- To treat Alzheimer’s disease
- To treat cancer
- To treat cystic fibrosis
- To treat Diabetes
- To treat emphysema
- To treat epilepsy
- To treat Epstein-Barr virus
- To treat hemophilia
- To treat herpes
- To treat HIV and AIDS
- To lower high blood pressure
- To raise low blood pressure
- To treat multiple sclerosis
- To treat scleroderma
- To treat systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE)
Research Evidence
Although the manufacturers of CanCell® claim that extensive studies in mice and humans show that it is effective, none of these studies have been published in peer-reviewed journals. In 1978 and 1980, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) conducted animal studies with CanCell® and found that the product lacked significant antitumor activity. The NCI’s In Vitro Anticancer Drug Discovery Program evaluated CanCell® in 1990-1, also with negative results. It was determined that no further research on CanCell®/Entelev® was warranted.
Patient Warnings
- In 1989, the FDA was granted a permanent injunction against both manufacturers of Cancell®/Entelev®, prohibiting them from distributing the mixture, which is classified as an unapproved new drug. As such, it is not required to be manufactured under specific standardized conditions. This product may not contain the labeled amount or may be contaminated. In addition, it may not have been tested for safety or effectiveness.
Special Point
The manufacturers of CanCell® and Cantron® offer conflicting theories, both unfounded, explaining their products’ anticancer activities.
Dosage (Inside MSKCC Only)
This field is only visible to only Inside MSKCC users.
Aliases
Cantron
Entelev
Protocel
E-mail your questions and comments to aboutherbs@mskcc.org.
