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December 2, 2008 11:16:05 AM CST

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Desperate Cancer Victims Turn to Do-it-Yourself Cures

Posted Dec 15, 07 7:18 AM CST in Science & Health 

(Newser) – Desperate for a cure, and fed up with waiting for a federal Food and Drug Administration they say takes too long to approve drugs, some ill Americans are concocting cancer medicine "cocktails"—many of which haven’t been approved or tested—they hope will save their lives, reports the Wall Street Journal. 

Experts warn that combining drugs could be dangerous, but researchers say it may be the most promising approach because cancer tends to defeat individual treatments. "It's terrifying, but it's our only hope," said the father of one 7-year-old cancer victim. The internet is helping spread the do-it-yourself approach. Cancer kills roughly 565,000 people in the US annually.

Source Wall Street Journal

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Researchers believe a combination of drugs, a cancer cocktail, is the answer to suring or curbing cancer.   (KRT Photos)
Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Commissioner Andrew von Eschenbach testifies on Capitol Hill in Washington.   (Associated Press)
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