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Table of Contents Purpose of This PDQ Summary
Overview
General Information
History
Laboratory/Animal/Preclinical Studies
Human/Clinical Studies
Adverse Effects
Overall Level of Evidence for 714-X
Changes to This Summary (06/12/2009)
More Information
Purpose of This PDQ Summary
This PDQ cancer information summary for health professionals provides comprehensive, peer-reviewed, evidence-based information about the use of 714-X as a treatment for cancer. The summary is reviewed regularly and updated as necessary by the PDQ Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine Editorial Board.
Information about the following is included in this summary:
- A brief history of 714-X research.
- Possible side effects of 714-X use.
This summary is intended as a resource to inform and assist clinicians and other health professionals who care for cancer patients. It does not provide formal guidelines or recommendations for making health care decisions.
Some of the reference citations in the summary are accompanied by a level of evidence designation. These designations are intended to help the readers assess the strength of the evidence supporting the use of specific interventions or treatment strategies. The PDQ Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine Editorial Board uses a formal evidence ranking system in developing its level of evidence designations. These designations should not be used as a basis for reimbursement determinations.
This summary is also available in a patient version, which is written in less technical language.
 Back to Top Overview
This complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) information summary provides
an overview of the use of 714-X as a treatment for cancer. The summary
includes a brief history of the development of 714-X; a review of laboratory, animal, and clinical research; and possible side effects of 714-X use.
This summary contains the following key information:
- The main ingredient of 714-X is naturally derived camphor that is chemically modified by
the introduction of a nitrogen atom.
- It is claimed that 714-X protects and stabilizes the immune system and
restores its ability to fight cancer.
- No study of 714-X has been published in a peer-reviewed scientific
journal to show it is safe or effective in treating cancer.
- 714-X is not approved for use in the United States.
- The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has placed an import ban on 714-X.
Many of the medical and scientific terms used in the summary are hypertext linked (at first use in each section) to the NCI Dictionary of Cancer Terms, which is oriented toward nonexperts. When a linked term is clicked, a definition will appear in a separate window. All linked terms and their corresponding definitions will appear in a glossary in the printable version of the summary.
Reference citations in some PDQ CAM information summaries may include links to external Web sites that are operated by individuals or organizations for the purpose of marketing or advocating the use of specific treatments or products. These reference citations are included for informational purposes only. Their inclusion should not be viewed as an endorsement of the content of the Web sites, or of any treatment or product, by the PDQ Cancer CAM Editorial Board or the National Cancer Institute.
Back to Top General Information
714-X was developed more than 30 years ago in a privately funded laboratory in
Quebec, Canada, where it continues to be produced. The primary component of
714-X is naturally derived camphor that is chemically modified by the introduction
of a nitrogen atom. After modification, the camphor is combined with
water and sodium chloride (i.e., salt). Numerous trace elements have also been found
in batches of 714-X.[1] Reviewed in [2]
The private laboratory markets 714-X worldwide through its own distribution
company.[1] In Canada, this compound is legally available on compassionate grounds
only and must be obtained through a physician. [1] Reviewed in [2] Because the production of 714-X is not regulated, there is no
guarantee that rigorous quality control procedures are followed to ensure
manufacturing consistency or product safety. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has not approved 714-X for use as a treatment for cancer or any other medical condition. In addition, the FDA has placed an import ban on 714-X.
Before researchers can conduct clinical drug research in the United States, they must file an Investigational New Drug (IND) application with the FDA.
The IND application process is confidential, and information about an IND can
be disclosed only by the applicants. To date, no investigators have announced
that they have applied for an IND to study 714-X as a treatment for
cancer.
714-X is usually administered by injection near lymph nodes in the groin. It can also
be administered nasally, using a nebulizer. Nasal administration is used
for follow-up treatment and for the treatment of patients with lung or oral cancers. The producers of 714-X do not
recommend intravenous or oral
administration. A usual treatment cycle consists of a single daily injection
for 21 days followed by a 2- to 3-day rest period. Between 6 and 12
treatment cycles have been recommended by the producers. The producers of 714-X advise a 50%
reduction in dose for pediatric patients who weigh less than 30 kg (66 lb).[1] Reviewed in
[2]
It has been suggested that 714-X is more effective if administered early in
the disease process and before surgery, chemotherapy, or radiation therapy. The
producers claim, however, that 714-X can also be used in conjunction with conventional treatments. It
has been further suggested that the use of alcohol and treatment with
nonconventional therapies such as shark or bovine (i.e., cow) cartilage (and other angiogenesis inhibitors), vitamin B12 supplements, and vitamin E supplements be avoided during 714-X
treatment.[1] Reviewed in [2]
References
-
714X Technical Data. Rock Forest, Canada: CERBE Distribution, Inc. Available online. Last accessed June 11, 2009.
-
Kaegi E: Unconventional therapies for cancer: 6. 714-X. Task Force on Alternative Therapeutic of the Canadian Breast Cancer Research Initiative. CMAJ 158 (12): 1621-4, 1998.
[PUBMED Abstract]
Back to Top History
Little documentation exists regarding the development of 714-X and its
mechanism of action. It appears to have been developed in the 1960s on the
basis of earlier studies that used a high-magnification, dark-field microscope called
a somatoscope. Reviewed in [1,2] With the somatoscope, researchers were able
to examine living cells in samples of fresh blood and tissue taken from
healthy individuals and individuals with serious diseases, including cancer.
The study of living cells (as opposed to the dead cells examined with a
conventional light microscope or an electron microscope)
led to the theory that microorganisms distinct from bacteria, viruses, and fungus exist normally in the blood and play
a role in the development of cancer. These microorganisms, which were called
somatids, are said to exist in multiple forms, some of which appear only in
individuals affected by degenerative or malignant diseases. The forms associated
with degenerative diseases or cancer reportedly secrete growth hormones and toxic substances that disrupt
normal cellular metabolism and damage
the immune system. In this compromised environment, cells that have become cancerous are allowed to proliferate. It was also suggested
that cancer cells trap nitrogen, thereby depriving the rest of the body of the
nitrogen needed for normal cellular metabolism. In addition, it was proposed
that cancer cells secrete a toxic substance, cocancerogenic K factor, that
further inhibits the immune system. Reviewed in [1,2]
The producers of 714-X state that cancer can be diagnosed, and its
development and spread can be predicted by studying blood samples with the
somatoscope. No evidence has been published in peer-reviewed scientific
journals to support these proposals, and the somatidian theory of cancer
development is not widely accepted.
714-X reportedly works by protecting, stabilizing, and reactivating the
patient’s immune system, so the body can defend itself against cancer cell
growth and metastasis.[3] Reviewed in
[1,2] 714-X is said to accomplish this, in part, by helping to increase the
“fluidity” of lymph.[3] In addition, the camphor component of 714-X is purportedly attracted to cancer cells, where the
added nitrogen is released, thus preventing malignant cells from depleting the
nitrogen required by normal cells (including immune system cells) for proper
metabolism and function. Reviewed in [1,2]
References
-
Kaegi E: Unconventional therapies for cancer: 6. 714-X. Task Force on Alternative Therapeutic of the Canadian Breast Cancer Research Initiative. CMAJ 158 (12): 1621-4, 1998.
[PUBMED Abstract]
-
Hess DJ: Germ warfare: the case for bacteria as carcinogen. In: Hess DJ: Can Bacteria Cause Cancer? Alternative Medicine Confronts Big Science. New York: New York University Press, 1997, pp 7-48.
-
714X Technical Data. Rock Forest, Canada: CERBE Distribution, Inc. Available online. Last accessed June 11, 2009.
Back to Top Laboratory/Animal/Preclinical Studies
No laboratory study of the safety and/or effectiveness of 714-X has been
published in scientific literature. A few animal experiments have been
conducted, but the results of these experiments have not been reported in
peer-reviewed scientific journals. The animal studies utilized a lymphosarcoma tumor model in rats and lymphoma tumor models in dogs and cows.
714-X was not found to be effective as an anticancer treatment in these
studies. Reviewed in [1]
A few laboratory and animal studies have suggested that camphor is able
to enhance the response of the immune system to vaccine administration and to increase the sensitivity of tumor cells to radiation therapy.[2-6] In one series of
studies, investigators used camphor vapors as a conditioned stimulus to
promote an immune response.[2-5] These studies demonstrated that mice exposed
to camphor vapors at the same time they received an antilymphoma vaccine
showed decreased growth of transplanted lymphoma cells and increased survival
when they were re-exposed to camphor vapors plus the vaccine or to camphor
vapors alone, in comparison with mice re-exposed to only the vaccine.[2,3]
These investigators also demonstrated that exposure to camphor vapors led to
an increase in natural killer
cells [4] and an increase in tumor-specific cytotoxic T cells.[5] Another
study reported that breast adenocarcinoma cells transplanted
under the skin of mice responded better to local radiation therapy when small doses of camphor were administered by intraperitoneal injection before
the radiation treatment.[6]
Finally, researchers examined nine compounds, including a
camphor-containing compound, for their ability to inhibit the activity of
estrone sulfatase, an enzyme involved in the production of estrone, which is a
precursor of the various forms of estrogen. Estrogens are thought to
promote the growth of hormone -dependent breast cancer cells. The
camphor-containing compound showed only modest inhibition of estrone sulfatase
activity in human breast cancer cells grown in vitro.[7]
References
-
Kaegi E: Unconventional therapies for cancer: 6. 714-X. Task Force on Alternative Therapeutic of the Canadian Breast Cancer Research Initiative. CMAJ 158 (12): 1621-4, 1998.
[PUBMED Abstract]
-
Hiramoto RN, Hiramoto NS, Rish ME, et al.: Role of immune cells in the Pavlovian conditioning of specific resistance to cancer. Int J Neurosci 59 (1-3): 101-17, 1991.
[PUBMED Abstract]
-
Ghanta VK, Hiramoto NS, Solvason HB, et al.: Conditioning: a new approach to immunotherapy. Cancer Res 50 (14): 4295-9, 1990.
[PUBMED Abstract]
-
Ghanta VK, Hiramoto NS, Solvason HB, et al.: Conditioned enhancement of natural killer cell activity, but not interferon, with camphor or saccharin-LiCl conditioned stimulus. J Neurosci Res 18 (1): 10-5, 1987.
[PUBMED Abstract]
-
Ghanta VK, Hiramoto NS, Soong SJ, et al.: Conditioning of the secondary cytotoxic T-lymphocyte response to YC8 tumor. Pharmacol Biochem Behav 50 (3): 399-403, 1995.
[PUBMED Abstract]
-
Goel HC, Roa AR: Radiosensitizing effect of camphor on transplantable mammary adenocarcinoma in mice. Cancer Lett 43 (1-2): 21-7, 1988.
[PUBMED Abstract]
-
Howarth NM, Purohit A, Reed MJ, et al.: Estrone sulfonates as inhibitors of estrone sulfatase. Steroids 62 (4): 346-50, 1997.
[PUBMED Abstract]
Back to Top Human/Clinical Studies
No clinical studies (i.e., clinical trials, case series, or case reports) have been reported in
peer-reviewed scientific journals to support the safety or the efficacy of
714-X. A number of anecdotal
reports and testimonials have
been published in newspapers and other nonmedical literature. The producers
of 714-X state that they have tried to document the long-term experience of
patients treated with this compound, but they have encountered difficulty in
obtaining information from patients and their health care providers. Reviewed
in [1]
References
-
Kaegi E: Unconventional therapies for cancer: 6. 714-X. Task Force on Alternative Therapeutic of the Canadian Breast Cancer Research Initiative. CMAJ 158 (12): 1621-4, 1998.
[PUBMED Abstract]
Back to Top Adverse Effects
It is claimed that 714-X is nontoxic in the manufacturer-recommended dose range.[1] Reviewed in [2] The only
described side effects of treatment with this compound are local redness,
tenderness, and swelling at injection sites. Reviewed in [2]
References
-
714X Technical Data. Rock Forest, Canada: CERBE Distribution, Inc. Available online. Last accessed June 11, 2009.
-
Kaegi E: Unconventional therapies for cancer: 6. 714-X. Task Force on Alternative Therapeutic of the Canadian Breast Cancer Research Initiative. CMAJ 158 (12): 1621-4, 1998.
[PUBMED Abstract]
Back to Top Overall Level of Evidence for 714-X
To assist readers in evaluating the results of human/clinical studies of complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) treatments for cancer, a scoring system has been devised that allows
studies of individual treatments to be ranked according to the strength of
their evidence (i.e., their level of evidence). Not all studies, however,
are given a level of evidence score. To be eligible, a study must:
- Evaluate
a therapeutic outcome(s), such as tumor response, improvement in
survival, or carefully measured improvement in quality of life.
- Be reported in
a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
- Have its clinical findings
published in sufficient detail that a meaningful evaluation can be made.
Evidence from studies that do not meet these requirements is considered extremely weak. In addition to scoring individual studies, an overall level of evidence assessment is usually made.
Because no study of the use of 714-X in humans has been reported in a
peer-reviewed scientific journal, no level of evidence analysis is possible
for this treatment. Therefore, at this time, the use of 714-X as a treatment
for cancer cannot be recommended outside the context of well-designed clinical trials.
For additional information about levels of evidence analysis, refer to Levels of Evidence for Human Studies of Cancer Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
Back to Top Changes to This Summary (06/12/2009)
The PDQ cancer information summaries are reviewed regularly and updated as
new information becomes available. This section describes the latest
changes made to this summary as of the date above.
Editorial changes were made to this summary.
Back to Top More Information
Additional Information about CAM Therapies
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Important:
This information is intended mainly for use by doctors and other health care professionals. If you have questions about this topic, you can ask your doctor, or call the Cancer Information Service at 1-800-4-CANCER (1-800-422-6237).
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