This complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) information summary provides an overview of the use of laetrile as an anticancer treatment. The summary includes a history of laetrile research, a review of laboratory studies, the results of clinical trials, and possible side effects of laetrile use.

This summary contains the following key information:

• Laetrile is another name for the chemical amygdalin, which is found in the pits of many fruits and in numerous plants.



• Cyanide is thought to be the main anticancer component of laetrile.



• Laetrile was first used as a cancer treatment in Russia in 1845 and, in the United States, in the 1920s.



• Laetrile has shown little anticancer activity in animal studies and no anticancer activity in human clinical trials.



• Laetrile is not approved for use in the United States.



• Inappropriate advertisement of laetrile as a cancer treatment has resulted in a Food and Drug Administration (FDA) investigation that culminated in charges and conviction of 1 distributor.

Many of the medical and scientific terms used in the summary are hypertext linked (at first use in each section) to the Cancer.gov Dictionary, which is oriented toward nonexperts. When a linked term is clicked, a definition will appear in a separate window. All linked terms and their corresponding definitions will appear in a glossary in the printable version of the summary.

Reference citations in some PDQ CAM information summaries may include links to external Web sites that are operated by individuals or organizations for the purpose of marketing or advocating the use of specific treatments or products. These reference citations are included for informational purposes only. Their inclusion should not be viewed as an endorsement of the content of the Web sites or of any treatment or product by the PDQ Cancer CAM Editorial Board or the National Cancer Institute (NCI).

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