MechanismESTABLISHEDOutcomeC, some B
Claimed
Starving the body of carbohydrate drops blood glucose and insulin, forces normal cells onto ketones, and leaves glucose-dependent tumors short of fuel.
What holds up
Textbook Warburg-effect biology; reproduced across labs.
What it does not show
Pooled trials show reliable metabolic effect (glucose, insulin, IGF-1) and safety; no RCT has shown survival benefit yet. ERGO2 was feasibility, not efficacy.
Evidence for
Voss et al., ERGO2, Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2020, Kamali et al., umbrella review of systematic reviews, Integr Cancer Ther 2026, Rieger et al., ERGO pilot, Int J Oncol 2014, Diet2Treat phase II, ClinicalTrials.gov
Sources
PENDING Voss et al., ERGO2, Int J Radiat Oncol Biol Phys 2020. PENDING Kamali et al., umbrella review of systematic reviews, Integr Cancer Ther 2026. PENDING Rieger et al., ERGO pilot, Int J Oncol 2014. PENDING Diet2Treat phase II, ClinicalTrials.gov.
MechanismPLAUSIBLEOutcomeNONE
Claimed
A zero-carbohydrate, all-animal diet produces deeper and more sustained ketosis than keto, with fewer plant compounds to manage.
What holds up
Metabolically a ketogenic diet; shares keto's mechanism.
What it does not show
Zero published cancer studies of carnivore diet exist.
Evidence for
Carnivore Diet: A Scoping Review of the Current Evidence, PMC 2025, Low Carbohydrate Diets in Cancer Therapeutics, PMC 2021
Sources
PENDING Carnivore Diet: A Scoping Review of the Current Evidence, PMC 2025. PENDING Low Carbohydrate Diets in Cancer Therapeutics, PMC 2021.
MechanismPLAUSIBLEOutcomeNONE
Claimed
Cutting glutamine starves the tumor's second fuel; EGCG from green tea blocks the enzyme glutamate dehydrogenase and so blocks glutamine use.
What holds up
Glutamine addiction is real, a live pharma target; EGCG inhibits glutamate dehydrogenase in cells.
What it does not show
No human trial has shown green tea, EGCG, or dietary glutamine restriction changes a cancer outcome.
Evidence for
Targeting glutamine metabolism as a potential target for cancer treatment, PMC 2025, An alternative mechanism of glutamate dehydrogenase inhibition by EGCG, PMC 2025, Targeting cancer hallmarks with EGCG, PMC 2024
Sources
PENDING Targeting glutamine metabolism as a potential target for cancer treatment, PMC 2025. PENDING An alternative mechanism of glutamate dehydrogenase inhibition by EGCG, PMC 2025. PENDING Targeting cancer hallmarks with EGCG, PMC 2024.
MechanismPLAUSIBLEOutcomeC
Claimed
The human anti-parasitic cousin of fenbendazole disrupts microtubules in dividing cancer cells and crosses into the brain.
What holds up
Microtubule disruption mechanism, human trials exist unlike most benzimidazoles.
What it does not show
Multiple phase 1/2a trials always added to chemo; built for dose and safety, not to prove benefit.
Evidence for
Gallia et al., Neuro-Oncology Advances 2021;3(1):vdaa154, Kars et al., Cancer Medicine 2020, DOI 10.1002/cam4.3094, Mansoori et al., Scientific Reports 2021, Hegazy et al., Life Sciences 2022 (often miscited as 'Touti'), Nygren and Larsson, Acta Oncologica 2014, a case report, not a trial
Sources
VERIFIED Gallia et al., Neuro-Oncology Advances 2021;3(1):vdaa154. VERIFIED Kars et al., Cancer Medicine 2020, DOI 10.1002/cam4.3094. VERIFIED Mansoori et al., Scientific Reports 2021. VERIFIED Hegazy et al., Life Sciences 2022 (often miscited as 'Touti'). VERIFIED Nygren and Larsson, Acta Oncologica 2014, a case report, not a trial.
MechanismPLAUSIBLEOutcomeD
Claimed
A dog dewormer that kills cancer cells through microtubule disruption, p53 and several other pathways, made famous by a rancher's stage 4 lung cancer story.
What holds up
Real mechanism list in cells and mice, cataloged in a 2024 review.
What it does not show
Poor human bioavailability. Famous case was also on trial immunotherapy so cannot be credited to fenbendazole.
Evidence for
Nguyen et al., Anticancer Research 2024;44(9):3725, Yamaguchi et al., Clinical Case Reports 2016
Sources
VERIFIED Nguyen et al., Anticancer Research 2024;44(9):3725. VERIFIED Yamaguchi et al., Clinical Case Reports 2016. RETRACTED 'Stanford Fenbendazole Protocol': no such publication. RETRACTED 'University of Kentucky glioblastoma study': not found.
MechanismPLAUSIBLEOutcomeD
Claimed
A Nobel-winning anti-parasitic that hits tubulin, mitochondria, p53 and HIF-1 in cancer cells, and, combined with a benzimidazole, 'attacks cancer twenty ways.'
What holds up
Broad preclinical literature across cancer types, including sensitizing lung cancer cells to paclitaxel.
What it does not show
Only human outcome study is uncontrolled, unblinded, self-reported, and authored by the protocol's advocates.
Evidence for
Hulscher, Marik, Makis et al., Anticancer Research 2026;46(6):3243, PMID 42203321, Rockwell et al., JAMA Network Open 2026;9(5):e2616780 (demand study, not efficacy), Sulik et al., Eur J Med Chem Reports 2024, Hayashi et al., Anticancer Research 2024;44(12):5271
Sources
VERIFIED Hulscher, Marik, Makis et al., Anticancer Research 2026;46(6):3243, PMID 42203321. VERIFIED Rockwell et al., JAMA Network Open 2026;9(5):e2616780 (demand study, not efficacy). VERIFIED Sulik et al., Eur J Med Chem Reports 2024. VERIFIED Hayashi et al., Anticancer Research 2024;44(12):5271. VERIFIED Factually / The Conversation evidence review, May 2026.
MechanismESTABLISHEDOutcomeA (glioblastoma)
Claimed
Alternating electric fields at a specific frequency, delivered through scalp electrodes, disrupt cell division in tumors.
What holds up
What a 'frequency' therapy looks like when real.
What it does not show
Phase 3 EF-14 RCT showed survival benefit; FDA approved since 2015. Not shown for other gliomas.
Evidence for
Stupp et al., JAMA 2017, EF-14 trial, Real-world meta-analysis, ASCO Daily News summary, Tumor-Treating Fields in Glioblastomas: Past, Present, and Future, PMC 2022
Sources
PENDING Stupp et al., JAMA 2017, EF-14 trial. PENDING Real-world meta-analysis, ASCO Daily News summary. PENDING Tumor-Treating Fields in Glioblastomas: Past, Present, and Future, PMC 2022.
MechanismESTABLISHEDOutcomeA/B (specific cancers)
Claimed
Light can heal tissue and kill cancer.
What holds up
Light-activated drug plus matching-wavelength laser; decades of trials for specific lesions.
What it does not show
Approved for certain skin, esophageal and lung lesions. Not a general light cure; red-light panels are not this.
Evidence for
NCI PDQ summary on photodynamic therapy. Specific trial citations to be added and verified.
Sources
PENDING NCI PDQ summary on photodynamic therapy. Specific trial citations to be added and verified..
MechanismESTABLISHEDOutcomeB (with radiation)
Claimed
Heating a tumor to around 40 to 43 degrees Celsius weakens cancer cells and makes radiation and some chemotherapy work better.
What holds up
Tumor brought to measured temperature; standard in some European centers.
What it does not show
Randomized trials in cervical cancer (Dutch Deep Hyperthermia Trial) and sarcoma (EORTC).
Evidence for
van der Zee et al., Lancet 2000, Issels et al., Lancet Oncology 2010 and JAMA Oncology 2018 follow-up
Sources
PENDING van der Zee et al., Lancet 2000. PENDING Issels et al., Lancet Oncology 2010 and JAMA Oncology 2018 follow-up.
MechanismSPECULATIVEOutcomeNONE
Claimed
Pulsed electromagnetic fields increase microcirculation dramatically, flooding the body with oxygen that cancer cannot tolerate.
What holds up
FDA-cleared narrowly for local circulation/muscle stimulation, not cancer; no published 800% figure exists.
What it does not show
No cancer outcome data of any kind.
Evidence for
Independent reviews: Biology Insights, ScienceInsights 2026
Sources
PENDING FDA 510(k) K231368, K210174, K151834 (narrow indication, no cancer claim evaluated). PENDING Independent reviews: Biology Insights, ScienceInsights 2026.
MechanismSPECULATIVEOutcomeNONE
Claimed
Cancer thrives in acid; alkaline water makes the body inhospitable to it.
What holds up
Tumor microenvironments really are acidic, but blood pH is tightly regulated regardless of what you drink.
What it does not show
Bottled alkaline water does not reach the tumor; the research direction (oral bicarbonate) is not the consumer product.
Evidence for
Tumor alkalization therapy review, Frontiers in Oncology 2024, Plasma-activated water mouse study, Applied Physics Letters 2022 (previously miscited as AIP Advances)
Sources
PENDING Tumor alkalization therapy review, Frontiers in Oncology 2024. VERIFIED Plasma-activated water mouse study, Applied Physics Letters 2022 (previously miscited as AIP Advances).
MechanismSPECULATIVEOutcomeNONE
Claimed
Specific audio or radio frequencies shatter cancer cells the way a note shatters glass.
What holds up
No demonstrated mechanism at the energies involved; contrast with TTFields, a real electric-field therapy.
What it does not show
No outcome data. Rife machines and sound baths have never been trialed.
Evidence for
Sources
PENDING Focused ultrasound: to be cited. No supporting literature exists for Rife-type devices to cite..