Insulin potentiation therapy combines insulin with chemotherapy with a goal of enhancing treatment effects.
Insulin potentiation therapy at a glance
Insulin potentiation therapy is based on the principle that cancer cells have many more insulin receptors than normal cells. Theoretically, giving insulin together with chemotherapy could cause the cancer cells to take up the chemotherapy at a higher rate. Also, a lower dose of chemotherapy might be used with the same cancer-killing effect as higher doses but with fewer adverse side effects of treatment.1Forsythe J, Gustafson C. James Forsythe, MD, HMD: the success of integrative cancer therapy based on chemosensitivity testing and insulin potentiation therapy. Alternative Therapies in Health and Medicine. 2015 Mar-Apr;21(2):54-9. While preclinical laboratory evidence supports this concept, only very limited clinical evidence to date shows any benefit among people with cancer.
Insulin potentiation therapy is very expensive and is not available everywhere. We did not find any clinical practice guidelines or integrative oncology expert recommendations for its use.
CancerChoices ratings for insulin potentiation therapy
We rate insulin potentiation therapy on seven attributes, with 0 the lowest rating and 5 the highest. We rate the strength of the evidence supporting the use of insulin potentiation therapy for a medical benefit, such as improving treatment outcomes or managing side effects.
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