Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski is under fire for selling false hope to his patients. USA Today reports that Dr. Burzynski claims to be able to cure inoperable pediatric brainstem tumors. According to the report, Dr. Burzysnki is an internal medicine doctor with no board certification or formal training in oncology.

“Our survival for children in the age up to three years, is 50 percent at five years, which is remarkable. And, we have patients who are now surviving over 20 years without any sign of this type of cancer,” Dr. Burzynski is quoted as saying in a document linked to by USA Today.

Although Dr. Burzynski has a core group of supporters, who claim that his treatments are beneficial, a number of experts are accusing him of selling false hope to his patients.

In a separate USA Today article, three reasons to doubt Dr. Burzysnki’s claims are identified:

1. Burzysnki often relies on individual success stories to prove that his therapies work. However, individual success stories don’t always tell the whole story.
2. It’s possible that the doctor’s patients may have been misdiagnosed. Citing Jan Buckner, a professor and chairman of oncology at the Mayo Clinic, USA Today notes that brain tumors are extremely difficult to diagnose.
3. The doctor’s patients may have been cured by a previous treatment. A lot of Burzysnki’s patients have undergone different forms of cancer treatments, including chemotherapy and radiation; any one of the treatments may have cured them.

Burzysnki refers to his drugs as “antineoplastons” and, according to the report, more than 8,000 patients have used them since 1977. The sodium-rich drugs have not been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration, but Dr. Burzysnki continues to prescribe them to treat AIDS, lupus and other medical issues.

What do you think of Dr. Burzynski’s claim? Would you feel comfortable trying an unproven treatment if you had no other choice? Start a conversation by sharing your thoughts in the comments section.