Existing data supporting the effectiveness of Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup as a treatment for cancer are limited and weak. To date, only two clinical studies have been reported in the peer-reviewed scientific literature.[1,2] These studies tested the ability of Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup to prolong the survival of patients with advanced non-small cell lung cancer. Although ingestion of Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup was associated with improved survival in both studies, the results may not be reliable because of the small numbers of patients included in the studies (i.e., a total of 18 evaluable patients) and because of other major weaknesses in the designs of the studies. Different formulations of Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup were used in the two studies, making a comparison of the results difficult. Information about the effectiveness of Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup as a treatment for other types of cancer is found only in anecdotal reports,[3,4] and no information is available about the safety or the efficacy of this treatment approach in pediatric patients. Additional larger, well-designed clinical studies that test identical formulations of vegetables and herbs are necessary to determine more clearly whether Selected Vegetables/Sun’s Soup can be useful in the treatment of non-small cell lung and other types of cancer.

Separate levels of evidence scores are assigned to qualifying human studies on the basis of statistical strength of the study design and scientific strength of the treatment outcomes (i.e., endpoints) measured. The resulting two scores are then combined to produce an overall score. For additional information about levels of evidence analysis, refer to Levels of Evidence for Human Studies of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine ¹.

References

1. Sun AS, Ostadal O, Ryznar V, et al.: Phase I/II study of stage III and IV non-small cell lung cancer patients taking a specific dietary supplement. Nutr Cancer 34 (1): 62-9, 1999.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   
2. Sun AS, Yeh HC, Wang LH, et al.: Pilot study of a specific dietary supplement in tumor-bearing mice and in stage IIIB and IV non-small cell lung cancer patients. Nutr Cancer 39 (1): 85-95, 2001.  [PUBMED Abstract]
   
   
3. Sun AS: Herbal Treatment of Malignancy. US Patent 5437866. August 1, 1995. Washington, DC: US Patent and Trademark Office, 1995. Available online. ² Last accessed November 28, 2007. 
   
   
4. Sun A: Food therapy for non-small cell lung cancer. In: Comprehensive Cancer Care: Integrating Complementary and Alternative Therapies - A Conference for Health professionals, June 12-14, 1998. Breakout Session 405: Herbal Therapies. Available online. ³ Last accessed November 28, 2007. 
   
   

Glossary Terms

An incomplete description of the medical and treatment history of one or more patients. Anecdotal reports may be published in places other than peer-reviewed, scientific journals.

A type of research study that tests how well new medical approaches work in people. These studies test new methods of screening, prevention, diagnosis, or treatment of a disease. Also called clinical trial.

Effectiveness. In medicine, the ability of an intervention (for example, a drug or surgery) to produce the desired beneficial effect.

In clinical trials, an event or outcome that can be measured objectively to determine whether the intervention being studied is beneficial. The endpoints of a clinical trial are usually included in the study objectives. Some examples of endpoints are survival, improvements in quality of life, relief of symptoms, and disappearance of the tumor.

Patients whose response to a treatment can be measured because enough information has been collected.

Taking into the body by mouth.

A ranking system used to describe the strength of the results measured in a clinical trial or research study. The design of the study (such as a case report for an individual patient or a randomized double-blinded controlled clinical trial) and the endpoints measured (such as survival or quality of life) affect the strength of the evidence.

A group of lung cancers that are named for the kinds of cells found in the cancer and how the cells look under a microscope. The three main types of non-small cell lung cancer are squamous cell carcinoma, large cell carcinoma, and adenocarcinoma. Non-small cell lung cancer is the most common kind of lung cancer.

A person who has studied science, especially one who is active in a particular field of investigation.