Homeopathic Protocol for Advanced Breast Cancer

August 12, 2019 updated by: Moshe Frenkel, Meir Medical Center

The Banerji Protocol for Advanced Breast Cancer- Feasibility Study

The objective of this study is to conduct a feasibility study at Meir Oncology Institute examining whether patients with advanced breast cancer would follow a homeopathic protocol for three to six months.

The primary aim of the study is to establish if patients with advanced breast cancer in Meir Oncology Institute would follow a regimen of treatment as used by Dr Banerji in India, for six months.

The secondary aim is to observe the quality of life and wellbeing of patients undergoing this protocol

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Withdrawn

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Detailed Description

- Homeopathy is a controversial system of care and at the center of the controversy lays the question of whether high dilution remedies can be effective.

There have been only a handful of high quality studies of homeopathy on the treatment of cancer, despite its widespread use for this condition.

In a recent prospective observational study done in Germany with cancer patients in two differently treated cohorts it was observed that an improvement in quality of life was observed in patients taking the addition of homeopathic treatment. In the laboratory, research on homeopathy and cancer that does exist is limited but has some clues for effects that cannot be ignored. A study that was conducted at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, revealed that four ultradilute remedies (Carcinosin, Phytolacca, Conium, and Thuja) exerted preferential cytotoxic effects against two breast cancer cell lines, causing cell cycle delay/arrest and apoptosis without affecting the normal mammary epithelial cells. Since patients with advanced breast cancer are the highest CAM users amongst patients affected by cancer, it was thought that a feasibility study with this group of patients, would be a rational first step in proceeding to evaluate this controversial method of care, if it has merit or not.

  • The objective of this study is to conduct a feasibility study at Meir Oncology Institute examining whether patients with advanced breast cancer would follow a homeopathic protocol for three to six months. The primary aim of the study is to establish if patients with advanced breast cancer in Meir Oncology Institute would follow homeopathic protocol as used by Dr Banerji in India, for six months. The secondary aim is to observe the quality of life and wellbeing of patients undergoing this protocol.
  • Patients with the diagnosis of advanced breast cancer who attend the Meir Oncology Institute clinic will be offered by their treating physician or nurse a fact sheet about this study and will be asked to participate in this protocol. The protocol will be explained to the patient by the research team. If they agree to participate they will be given a consent form to sign, and basic information will be obtained from each patient. This information will include basic demographics (age, marital status, employment , education level) and basic medical information ( Disease status and progress, current symptoms, medications and treatments being used, complementary medicine being used) as well as evaluation of quality of life using the European Organization for Research and Treatment of Cancer (EORTC) quality of life questionnaire (QLQ).
  • Patients will receive the selected homeopathic remedies (Carcinosin 30C, Phytolacca 200C, and Thuja 30C) with written instructions about the proper use of the remedies. The remedies will be offered to patients in addition to their regular conventional care. Patients that cannot participate in conventional cancer care due to side effects, expected adverse reactions or other reasons that prevent them from utilizing conventional care will be offered to participate in the study, as well. In addition, patients who for their own reasons elect to refuse conventional treatment can be offered to participate in the study in order to keep them in the system and not lose them to alternative untested treatments. Every 4 weeks for the period of 3 months and once at 6 months, a research assistant/ research nurse will contact each participant to review EORTC QLQ- C-30 questionnaire to evaluate quality of life as well as a follow up questionnaire which will verify the actual use of these remedies, perceived problems in taking these remedies, utilization of other therapies, address patients concerns, and document disease progression. A total of 30 patients will be enrolled in this study and their data will be reviewed and analyzed six months after recruitment to the study.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Not Applicable

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Locations

  • Israel
      • Kfar Saba, Israel
        • Institute of Oncology Meir Medical Center

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Genders Eligible for Study

Female

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • 18 years of age or older
  • Ability to speak and read Hebrew/English with patients residing in Israel.
  • Diagnosis of advanced breast cancer treated and followed in Meir Oncology Institute
  • Patients that cannot participate in conventional cancer care due to side effects, expected adverse reactions or other reasons that prevent them from utilizing conventional care.
  • Patients, who for their own reasons elect to refuse conventional treatment, can be offered to participate in the study in order to keep them in the system and not lose them to alternative untested treatments.
  • Consent to participate in this study

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Inability to understand the intent of the study and follow the instructions
  • Medical condition that would preclude participation in an interview session lasting 15-30 minutes
  • Diagnosis of active psychosis or severe cognitive impairment confirmed by the patient's attending physician.

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Supportive Care
  • Allocation: N/A
  • Interventional Model: Single Group Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Homeopathic treatment
A feasibility study examining whether patients with advanced breast cancer would follow a homeopathic protocol for three to six months.
Other: Homeopathic treatment
Remedies are sold over the counter without a physician prescription (approved by the Israeli Ministry of Health). No toxicity or side effects are expected to be observed, potencies (dilutions) of substances beyond 7C (7 dilutions, each 1:100) do not contain a sufficient number of molecules of the original material to be pharmacologically active. Since the remedies being used in this trial are diluted at 30c and 200c, levels that are way beyond Avogrado's number, so no original material is expected to be found. This fact was verified utilizing high pressure liquid chromatography (HPLC) method. Due to those facts, most scientists do not accept that these remedies have any biological effects and consign any positive response to the placebo effect.
Other Names:
  • A combined treatment of three homeopathic remedies:
  • Phytolacca 200C
  • Thuja 30C
  • Carcinosin 30c

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
To establish if patients with advanced breast cancer in Meir Oncology Institute would follow a homeopathic treatment protocol as used by Dr Banerji in India, for six months.
Time Frame: Six months
Investigators will follow patients with advanced breast cancer in Meir Oncology Institute and see if patients would follow a homeopathic treatment protocol as used by Dr Banerji in India, for six months.
Six months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Observe and verify the quality of life and wellbeing of patients undergoing this protocol
Time Frame: Six months
Investigators will document the quality of life and wellbeing of patients undergoing this protocol utilizing the EORTC QLQ-C30 (a questionnaire developed to assess the quality of life of cancer patients).
Six months

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Meir Medical Center

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Moshe Frenkel, MD, Institute of Oncology Meir Medical Center

Publications and helpful links

The person responsible for entering information about the study voluntarily provides these publications. These may be about anything related to the study.

General Publications

Helpful Links

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
August 1, 2014

Primary Completion (Actual)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
August 1, 2019

Study Completion (Actual)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
August 1, 2019

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
July 10, 2014

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
July 11, 2014

First Posted (Estimate)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
July 15, 2014

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
August 14, 2019

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
August 12, 2019

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
August 1, 2019

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • 0050-14-MMC

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

Yes

IPD Plan Description

Publications, Presentations in international meetings

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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