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Dear Dr. Roach: I read your recent column where you said that ivermectin has not been proven to be an effective treatment for cancer. I feel that you need to be further informed on the positive aspects of Ivermectin. I have on file dozens of testimonials about the cancer-curing properties of ivermectin. -- J.A.
Answer: Testimonials are not how medical science advances. Medical science advances when careful studies show that a new treatment is proven superior to existing treatments. These need to be done to eliminate the bias of hopefulness (on the part of both the researchers and research subjects), and they need to use objective measures of outcomes. Only after multiple studies have been done (that are often confirmed by other researchers) do new treatments get widely accepted and used.
I don't even trust testimonials when I am shopping online. I go to objective sites that give an honest review. I strongly recommend against listening to testimonials for your medical care. What works for one person may not work for another based on complex information an individual patient might not know.
In this column, I get multiple letters from readers saying that a treatment is fantastic and should be used by everybody, with others saying that it is horrible and nobody should use it (and sometimes that its proponents should lose their licenses).
Ivermectin may end up being an effective treatment for some types of cancer, but it is not yet proven to be. So, I strongly recommend against it for the treatment of cancer except as part of a research trial. I found a trial at Cedars-Sinai, for example, that looked at ivermectin versus a placebo along with the standard therapy for breast cancer.
Dr. Roach regrets that he is unable to answer individual letters, but will incorporate them in the column whenever possible. Readers may email questions to ToYourGoodHealth@med.cornell.edu.