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CancerQuest > Introduction to Patient Information > An Introduction to Cancer Treatments > Introduction to Complementary and Alternative Medicine (CAM) > CAM: Shark Cartilage (Neovastat®)

CAM: Shark Cartilage (Neovastat®)

Intro and Background
Cartilage is the flexible, bone-like structure found in animals and humans. This tissue is nonvascular which means it naturally prevents blood vessels from forming around it. The basis for cancer treatment with cartilage was spawned from the notion that if a tumor could not obtain nutrients from the body, via blood vessels, it would shrivel and die. Animal cartilage was then sought with the idea that it might prevent tumor related angiogenesis . Sharks were particularly targeted in the search for cartilage because their skeletons are mainly composed of cartilage. ⁽¹⁾  The claim by I. William Lane that "sharks do not get cancer" also increased excitement over the treatment and lead to a subsequent decline in shark populations in the wild. ⁽²⁾

Scientific Research
The evidence supports that general shark cartilage does not have any beneficial effects against cancer but modified extracts may be promising. Research has shown that general shark cartilage treatment has no observable effect on cancer cells. ^{(2) (3) (4)}  In other investigations, Neovastat™, a specific shark cartilage extract, has exhibited some antiangiogenic, apoptotic, and antimetastatic effects on tumors in vitro, in mice, and also in limited clinical trials. ^{(5) (6) (7)}

Four completed clinical trials showed no evidence of efficacy for Neovastat™ in the treatment of multiple myeloma, plasma cell neoplasms, breast cancer, lung cancer, kidney cancer or colorectal cancer.^(8)(9)(10)

Learn MORE about angiogenesis, apoptosis and metastasis

Presently there are no clinical trials being performed with Neovastat™.  To learn more, visit the NCI clinical trials database.

Please visit our section on Finding Clinical Trials.

US Food and Drug Administration Approval
There is not enough evidence to support that Neovastat™ is effective in the fight against cancer and it has not been approved by the FDA for cancer treatment. ⁽¹¹⁾

References for this page:

1. Gonzalez R.P., Leyva A., Moraes M.O. Shark cartilage as source of antiangiogenic compounds:from basic to clinical research. Biological Pharm Bull. (2001) 24:1097-1101. [PUBMED]
2. Joel B. Finkelstein. Sharks Do Get Cancer. Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Oxford: Nov 2, 2005. Vol. 97, Iss. 21; p. 1562. [PUBMED]
3. Loprinzi C.L., et al. Evaluation of shark cartilage in patients with advanced cancer: a North Central Cancer Treatment Group trial. Cancer. 2005 Jul 1; 104(1):176-82. [PUBMED]
4. Miller D.R., Anderson G.T., Stark J.J., Granick J.L. Richardson D. Phase I/II trial of safety and efficacy of shark cartilage in the treatment of advanced cancer, Journal Of clinical Oncology (1998) 16: 3649-3655 [PUBMED]
5. Batist G, Patenaude F, Champagne P, Croteau D, Levinton C, Hariton C, Escudier B, Dupont E. "Neovastat (AE-941) in refractory renal cell carcinoma patients: report of a phase II trial with two dose levels." Ann Oncol (2002). (8): 1259-63. [PUBMED]
6. Castronovo V, Dimitriadou V, Savard P et al. Cartilage as a source of natural inhibitors of angiogenesis. In Teicher BA (eds): Antiangiogenic Agents in Cancer Therapy. Totowa, NJ: Humana Press 1999; 175-183.
7. Dupont E, Falardeau P, Mousa SA et al. Antiangiogenic and antimetastatic properties of Neovsatst" (AE-941), an orally active extract derived from cartilage tissue. Clin Exp Metastasis (2002) 19: 145-153. [PUBMED]
8. Lu C, Lee JJ, Komaki R, Herbst RS, Feng L, Evans WK, Choy H, Desjardins P, Esparaz BT, Truong MT, Saxman S, Kelaghan J, Bleyer A, Fisch MJ. Chemoradiotherapy with or without AE-941 in stage III non-small cell lung cancer: a randomized phase III trial. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2010 Jun 16;102(12):859-65. Epub 2010 May 26. [PUBMED]
9. Loprinzi CL, Levitt R, Barton DL, Sloan JA, Atherton PJ, Smith DJ, Dakhil SR, Moore DF Jr, Krook JE, Rowland KM Jr, Mazurczak MA, Berg AR, Kim GP; North Central Cancer Treatment Group. Evaluation of shark cartilage in patients with advanced cancer: a North Central Cancer Treatment Group trial. Cancer. 2005 Jul 1;104(1):176-82. [PUBMED]
10. Escudier B, Choueiri TK, Oudard S, Szczylik C, Négrier S, Ravaud A, Chevreau C, Venner P, Champagne P, Croteau D, Dupont E, Hariton C, Bukowski RM. Prognostic factors of metastatic renal cell carcinoma after failure of immunotherapy: new paradigm from a large phase III trial with shark cartilage extract AE 941. J Urol. 2007 Nov;178(5):1901-5. Epub 2007 Sep 17. [PUBMED]
11. US Food and Drug Adminstration website. Accessed 9/10/2010 [http://www.fda.gov/]