‘Alternative therapies rely on hearsay and anecdotes’

Justin Stebbing, professor of Cancer Medicine and Oncology at Imperial College, says: “In my 25-year career in oncology I’ve never seen anyone who does really well without conventional therapy. There are very rare cases, less than one in a 1,000, where people have weird immune responses that aren’t understood and do have spontaneous regressions.

“People need to feel in control of their lives, and disease makes people out of control. But I’m happy to see alternative therapies being used alongside conventional therapy. I work with some amazing complementary practitioners, but the key is they work with me, not against me.

“Not having conventional treatment is dangerous because people are depriving themselves of the best chance of survival and having a good quality of life. People who choose solely alternative therapies are relying on hearsay and anecdotes. If you had a heart attack, you wouldn’t reach for a herbal supplement, you’d go to hospital. So why behave differently for cancer?”