anyone ever heard of this treatment?

Bottom Line: Insulin Potentiation Therapy is not effective in treating cancer.

Insulin potentiation therapy involves administering insulin at the same time as chemotherapy drugs, with the idea that lower doses of chemo are needed because insulin lets more of the drugs enter cells. However, this has never been proven experimentally. In general, insulin should not been taken by non-diabetics because it can decrease blood sugar to dangerously low levels, causing symptoms such as headache and delirium.

Purported Uses

* To treat cancer
There are no data to support this claim.

Research Evidence

No clinical trials have tested the safety or effectiveness of insulin potentiation therapy.

Do Not Take If

You are taking hypoglycemic agents (IPT can have additive effects).

Side Effects

Low blood sugar

Insulin Potentiation Therapy (IPT) is an alternative cancer therapy that uses insulin to potentiate the effect of chemotherapy and other medications. This therapy was developed in Mexico by Dr. Donato Perez Garcia in the 1930’s and has been used together with other unconventional therapies for many years (1). Advocates of IPT believe that cancer cells consume more sugar than healthy cells and are therefore more sensitive to insulin and insulin-like growth factor (IGF) (2) (7). Insulin is also believed to increase the permeability of cell membranes, increasing the intracellular concentration and cytotoxic effect of anticancer drugs (1). According to the theory underlying this therapy, if cancer cells can be activated by exogenous insulin, a reduced dose (up to one-tenth the normal dose) of a chemo drug can provide the same cytotoxic effects with less severe adverse reactions. No clinical trials have been performed to validate these claims. In addition, the pharmacokinetic profiles on concurrent use of insulin and chemo drugs are lacking and it is unclear whether the insulin also potentiates the toxic effects of chemotherapy on healthy cells.

Although proponents cite anecdotal case reports suggesting that IPT may be effective, there are no data comparing the efficacy of IPT to conventional chemotherapy. Most of the medications used, such as insulin and other chemo drugs, are approved by the FDA, but the IPT clinics administer them “off-label.” Some clinics that administer IPT are not operated or staffed by oncologists. Side effects of IPT include hypoglycemic reaction. A systematic review of 21 studies showed a correlation between circulating levels of IGF-I, IGFBP3 (IGF-binding protein) and an increased risk of common cancers (.