Winter 2007, Vol. 2 Issue 1

Discussing Possible Next Steps for Research on the Use of Mixed Bacterial Vaccines as Cancer Therapy

On November 17, 2006, the Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine (OCCAM) hosted a half-day meeting to which staff members from the National Cancer Institute (NCI), others from the National Institutes of Health (NIH), as well as academia were invited to review and discuss information about the historical and current use of mixed bacterial vaccines as cancer therapy. The primary goal of the meeting was to provide Dr. Hal Gunn, CEO of Canada's Centre for Integrated Healing, with feedback regarding the strengths and weaknesses of his theory on the anticancer effects of these vaccines and suggest and examine potential next steps in research on this topic.

Presenters included Dr. Gunn, Dr. Jerry Calver, president of Calver Biologics Consulting, Inc., and Dr. Jeffrey White, director of OCCAM. Dr. Gunn presented his multifaceted theory on acute and chronic infections and their relation to the development and clinical course of cancer in addition to bacteria's preferential selection of certain tissue types. He also presented the clinical data from cancer patients whom he treated with Mixed Respiratory Vaccine (MRV) and Polyvaccinum Forte (PVF). Dr. Calver provided context to the meeting by explaining the process of developing, producing, and standardizing bacterial vaccines in Canada. Dr. White discussed OCCAM's prior review of retrospective outcome data of patients treated with mixed bacterial vaccines at the Centre for Integrated Healing. Read more…

NCI CAM News is produced by the Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine (OCCAM). The Office of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine (OCCAM) was established in October 1998 to coordinate and support the National Cancer Institute’s (NCI) activities related to complementary and alternative medicine (CAM). OCCAM also serves as a focal point for NCI’s collaboration with other governmental and non-governmental organizations on cancer CAM issues.

For inquiries on CAM and cancer, call 1-800-4-CANCER or visit cam.cancer.gov.