Clinics around the world are offering unproven stem cell treatments to desperate patients with diseases like Parkinson’s and multiple sclerosis, a new report says, and consumers should be on the lookout for snake oil salesmen. A new set of guidelines issued by the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) gives consumers some hints on how to identify the scammers: Beware, it warns, of clinics claiming to treat multiple diseases with the same cells, boasting that there is no risk, and offering patient testimonials – rather than results from clinical research – as evidence that their treatment works. “Patients want to believe so much that a treatment is helping them that they can convince themselves that is has” [New Scientist], the guidelines caution.
In an accompanying study in the journal Cell Stem Cell, researchers examined the direct-to-consumer advertising that shady clinics use to attract customers. They looked at 19 Web sites that advertised stem cell treatments in several countries, including China, Mexico, and Russia, suggesting that stem cell clinics are becoming a lucrative part of the “medical tourism” industry. Researchers wrote: “The average cost of a course of therapy among the four websites that mentioned costs was $21,500, excluding travel and accommodation for patients and care givers. And examples of serious treatment side effects can be found” [Reuters] for the types of treatments being advertised.
