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'aetrile(Am)%$alin *+,Q.

+atient /ersionHealth +rofessional /ersion

'ast o$ie$2 03(30(301

'aetrile(Am)%$alin *+,Q.

56er6ie&

Questions an$ Ans&ers About 'aetrile(Am)%$alin

Chan%es o his Summar) *03(30(301.

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Questions an$ Ans&ers About 'aetrile(Am)%$alin

;hat is laetrile?

'aetrile is a com!oun$ that has been use$ as a treatment for !eo!le &ith

cancer &orl$&i$e< It is not a!!ro6e$ b) the =S #oo$ an$ ,ru% A$ministration

*#,A. as a treatment for cancer or an) other me$ical con$ition< he term

>laetrile comes from 3 &or$s *lae6orotator) an$ man$elonitrile. an$ is use$

to $escribe a !urie$ form of the chemical am)%$alin< Am)%$alin is a !lantcom!oun$ that contains su%ar an$ !ro$uces c)ani$e< C)ani$e is belie6e$ to

be the acti6e cancer-illin% in%re$ient in laetrile< Am)%$alin is foun$ in the

!its of man) fruits an$ in ra& nuts< It is also foun$ in other !lants such as

lima beans@ clo6er@ an$ sor%humlaetrile &ill be

use$ throu%hout this summar) eBce!t in cases &hen the !atente$ 6ersion of

'aetrile is no&n to ha6e been use$ in a stu$)

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;hat is the histor) of the $isco6er) an$ use of laetrile as a com!lementar)

or alternati6e treatment for cancer?

Am)%$alin &as rst isolate$ in 180 an$ &as use$ as an anticancer a%ent in

Russia as earl) as 184< Its rst recor$e$ use in the =nite$ States as a

treatment for cancer &as in the 1D30s< he earl) !ill form of am)%$alin &asfoun$ to be too toBic@ an$ &or &ith the com!oun$ &as sto!!e$< In the

1D0s@ a re!orte$l) nontoBic@ !artl) s)nthetic form of am)%$alin &as ma$e

an$ !atente$ in the =nite$ States as 'aetrile< 'aetrile %aine$ !o!ularit) in the

1D0s as a sin%le anticancer a%ent an$ as !art of a metabolic thera!)

!ro%ram that inclu$e$ a s!ecial $iet@ hi%h-$ose 6itamin su!!lements@ an$

!ancreatic enF)mes *a %rou! of !roteins that ai$ in the $i%estion of foo$.< G)

1D8@ more than 0@000 !eo!le in the =nite$ States ha$ re!orte$l) been

treate$ &ith 'aetrile