Powdered shark cartilage is a popular remedy promoted for cancer based on the claims of a nutritionist I. William Lane since his appearance on 60 Minutes in the 1990's.  A company started by his son has recently been suited by the FDA for making unproven claims that his BeneFin shark cartilage product cure cancers.  The treatment is based on claims that sharks have a very low rate of cancers.  However, this claim is unproven.  Even if they do, that doesn't mean taking shark cartilage helps.

In a 60-patient study by Denis R. Miller of the Cancer Treatment Research Foundation in Arlington Heights, IL, and completed in 1998, no benefit was found for adults with breast, colon, rectal, prostate, lung, or other cancers. (Sci News 3/5/05;167:155).

In a Mayo Clinic study of 80 patients funded by the Naitonal Cancer Institute, there was no benefit on survival or quality of life.  The study was stopped early because of a total lack of benefit (Society of Integrative Oncology, 11/04),

A two year trial of an extract of shark cartilage being researched by Aeterna Zentaris, no benefit was found against metastatic kidney cancer.  M.D. Anderson Cancer Center is doing a very large 340 patient study. (Sci News 3/5/05;167:155).

Shark Liver Oil no Value for Cancer Treatment: Alkoxyglycerol derived from shark liver oil is marketed in Denmark and mentioned in popular articles as a supplementary agent in the treatment of cancer. A questionnaire investigation carried out in the Department of Oncology and Haematology in Odense Hospital revealed that one-third of the patients in active neoplastic therapy employed shark liver oil preparations. The clinical investigations of alkoxyglycerol were all carried out on patients with cancer of the uterine cervix. Only a minority of the experimental material was blinded. No documentation was found for inhibited tumor growth or reduced mortality resulting from treatment with alkoxyglycerol. The number of cases of irradiation damage were found to be fewer in the groups treated with alkoxyglycerol, but the difference may be partially explained by different subdivision into stages. Alkoxyglycerol results in increase in the leukocyte and thrombocyte counts while higher or lower doses have, apparently, the opposite effect. The available literature concerning the clinical effect of alkoxyglycerol is limited and unsystematic and does not support the employment of alkocyglycerol in the treatment of cancer. Ugeskr Laeger 1991 Jan 28;153(5):343-6.