The case against laetrile

Press, 6 December 1977, Page 22

The case against laetrile

All the evidence is that laetrile—a substance which is found in apricot kernels —is ineffective against cancer. But the evidence apparently counts for little in the minds of many who continue to buy and eat the kernels in the belief that they will prevent or cure any form of the disease. The advocates of laetrile have claimed that the evidence against the drug has been “cooked.” But the evidence is too diverse and comes from too many different reputable sources for a conspiracy against laetrile to be a reasonable supposition.

Those who have faith in the substance could be left to buy and consume it without restriction but for two dangers. The first is that untreated apricot kernels contain small amounts of cyanide. Their sale in any form in which they threaten cyanide poisoning cannot be countenanced. The Health Department requires that any cyanide in apricot kernels be removed before the kernels are offered for sale. The department should take appropriate action promptly if it suspects that kernels which have not been “debittered” are being sold. The more serious danger is that the availability of apricot kernels, or of laetrile in any other form, could dissuade people from seeking or accepting forms of treatment for cancer which

have the backing of the medical profession. There are strong suspicions that in the United States many thousands of people have been persuaded to stay away from proved cancer therapies by claims made on behalf of laetrile. The ban against advertising a cure for cancer may not be an effective weapon against this insidious danger if the virtues of laetrile are touted too freely by word of mouth without the case against the drug being presented forcefully.

There may, perhaps, be no reason to deny those terminally ill with cancer the comfort, even if it is spurious, of eating apricot kernels. But a ban on the sale of the kernels would be justified if any evidence emerges that the kernels are being sold in a form which makes them dangerous, or if their availability is prompting some of those who are suffering from cancer to ignore sound medical advice. The solution may be to make laetrile in any form available only on prescription (with a warning that it appears to be of no medical value) if a doctor believes that taking the drug could have beneficial psychological effects on a terminally ill patient. Otherwise, any faith in the drug must be actively discouraged and banning should be considered if there is any evidence that its being available is having harmful effects.