En excerpt from the book : 

"ALTERNATIVES IN CANCER THERAPY"
  by Ross, R.Ph. Pelton, Lee Overholser

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22

Immuno-Augmentative Therapy

IMMUNO-AUGMENTATIVE THERAPY, or IAT, is a cancer therapy that has been developed by a biologist, Lawrence Burton, Ph.D. Over the years Dr. Burton and his IAT have been embroiled in conflict and controversy. The U.S. Government's OTA report on alternative cancer therapies called IAT "one of the most widely known unconventional cancer treatments."

Background

Much of Burton's early work was conducted during his fifteen years as a cancer researcher at St. Vincent's Hospital in New York City. In the mid-1960s, Burton and his colleagues made several remarkable presentations at scientific gatherings. In 1966 an astonished audience at the American Cancer Society's Science Writers' seminar watched as Burton injected blood-derived im-munological proteins into mice and caused tumors to shrink in less than one hour. (1)

Several months later, before an audience of oncologists at the New York Academy of Medicine, Dr. Burton and his colleagues reported that the immune factors in the blood that they had discovered were capable of inhibiting cancer. In experiments with leukemic mice, they reported an average survival of 131 days, while untreated mice had an average survival of only 12 days. (3)

At the same meeting, Burton again presented the amazing demonstration of causing tumor masses to visibly shrink within an hour by injecting his "deblocking factor" into tumor-bearing mice. However, instead of being impressed, the audience of oncologists was reportedly skeptical and unconvinced.

Cancer Politics

Independent mavericks do not usually receive a warm reception from traditional scientists and physicians. Burton's remarkable tumor-shrinking demonstrations before scientific audiences resulted in newspaper headlines that read "15-Minute Cancer Cure." (1) These sensational reports contributed to the American Cancer Society's decision to place immuno-augmentative therapy on the "Unproven Methods" list. Burton's funding and grant money were withdrawn, and, despite repeated attempts, professional journals refused to publish any more of his papers.

Immunology Research Foundation

In 1973, with the help of independent funding, Dr. Burton and his associate Dr. Frank Friedman left St. Vincent's and opened the Immunology Research Foundation (IRF) in Great Neck, New York.

Burton and Friedman began treating cancer patients with immuno-augmentative therapy at the clinic. They also applied for and obtained U.S. patents on the four proteins that they had isolated from human blood. These substances were called deblocking protein (DP), tumor antibody 1 (TA1), tumor antibody 2 (TA2), and tumor complement (TC). Burton claimed that when these substances are used in the right combination, they can restore the normal immune function in cancer patients.

During this period Burton and Friedman had also applied to the FDA for an Investigational New Drug (IND) permit. When it became obvious that they could not satisfy the FDA's seemingly endless requests for more information and additional studies, Burton and Friedman closed their New York research facility.

Tainted Blood?

In 1977 Dr. Burton branched out on his own and moved to the city of Freeport, on Grand Bahama Island, where he opened the Immunology Research Centre (IRC). A steady stream of cancer patients began traveling to the Bahamas, and for several years things went well for Burton.

Then, in July 1985, Burton was hit with another serious challenge. With urging from the National Cancer Institute and several other U.S. health agencies, the Bahamian government forced Burton to close his clinic because of reported AIDS and hepatitis B viral contamination of his blood-derived products. (2)

Two authors who summarized the events leading to the closing of Burton's clinic questioned the validity of the charges. (1, 2) Dr. Harold Jaffe, then director of the AIDS program at the Centers for Disease Control, pointed out that the wrong test was used to evaluate Burton's material. The ELISA test, which was used in the investigation, produces large numbers of false positive results. Another, more accurate test, which was readily available, was not used.

In February 1986 an article appeared in the AMA journal stating that all the gamma-globulin samples in the U.S. had been contaminated with the AIDS antibody. (4) At the same time, AIDS test kits revealed that thousands of blood samples from blood centers around the United States tested positive for the AIDS virus. (1) None of these centers was closed. One has to wonder why several U.S. agencies singled out Burton's clinic for closing for a health problem that was affecting every major medical institution and blood bank throughout the United States.

Robert Houston, an authority on alternative cancer therapies, states that "the overkill regarding Burton's clinic was clearly an attempt to play up any excuse to have it closed." (1) In March 1986, after evaluating all the evidence that had surfaced, the Bahamian Ministry of Health reversed its decision and allowed Burton to reopen his clinic.

The OTA Study

The closing of Burton's clinic enraged his patients and their families. Many of these people joined to form the Immuno-Augmentative Therapy Patient Association (IATPA) and began to lobby members of the U.S. Congress for help. The controversy over IAT was primarily responsible for persuading Congress to order the OTA study of alternative cancer therapies.

Dr. Burton's clinic continues to operate successfully in the Bahamas. He does not claim that his immuno-augmentative therapy is a cure for cancer. Instead, he believes that IAT is an immune-system-enhancing therapy that is often successful in controlling cancer. Although Burton's results have not been independently verified, the IAT patient brochure claims that from 50 to 60 percent of the patients experience a reduction in tumor size, and that many achieve long-term remission.

IAT Patients' Support Group

Mr. Frank Wiewel and his wife, Denise, formed the IAT Patients' Association in the United States. Frank and Denise were at the clinic with Denise's father, who was successfully responding to IAT in 1985, when Burton's clinic was forced to close. The condition of Denise's father began to deteriorate when his therapy was suspended; however, he still lived a year longer than predicted.

Information about Dr. Burton's IAT can be obtained from the group People Against Cancer or by directly calling Dr. Bur-ton's clinic in Freeport, Grand Bahama which is now called the Immuno-Augmentative Therapy Centre. The addresses and phone numbers for these organizations are provided in the appendix.

Side Effects and Toxicity

According to reports from patients, Burton's therapy is essentially nontoxic and without side effects.

Dosage

Burton's patients are taught to self-administer their injections. Each day during the course of their stay in the Bahamas, patients are given a computer printout with dosage information and instructions. The dosages are individualized according to the results of the patient's daily blood analysis.

The daily instructions tell the patient how much of each of the four different serums to inject each day. The number of daily injections can vary from as few as two or three to as many as twelve.

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