Burzynski clinic

[[File:BurzynskiClinic.jpeg|thumb|This is where you offer the deed to your house just for the down payment. A dead loved one is what you get in return.]]
{{altmed|1}}
The '''Burzynski clinic''' is a filthy (and profitable) death chamber masquerading as a research institution and hospital where patients around the world are subjected to brutal worthless treatments, bankruptcy, and eventually [[death]] in [[Texas]]. It is run by its founder, the [[Poland|Polish]]-born Stanisław Burzyński, who became a millionaire from the cash of his victims and the generous GoFundMe folks. He says he's a doctor but his ''alma mater'' is rather equivocal on the matter and there is skepticism over his qualifications.<ref name=Green>[http://www.quackwatch.org/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Cancer/burzynski1.html Stanislaw Burzynski and "Antineoplastons"]</ref><ref>Green S. [http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=397590 'Antineoplastons': An Unproved Cancer Therapy.] JAMA. 1992;267(21):2924-2928. doi:10.1001/jama.1992.03480210086037.</ref><ref>Burzynski S. [http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=403001 Antineoplastons: The Controversy Continues.] JAMA. 1993;269(4):475. doi:10.1001/jama.1993.03500040041027.</ref><ref>Houston RG. [http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=403002 Antineoplastons: The Controversy Continues.] JAMA. 1993;269(4):475-476. doi:10.1001/jama.1993.03500040041028.</ref><ref>Wanebo HJ. [http://jama.jamanetwork.com/article.aspx?articleid=403004 Antineoplastons: The Controversy Continues.] JAMA. 1993;269(4):476. doi:10.1001/jama.1993.03500040041029.</ref>

It's notable for the [[PIDOOMA|invention from whole cloth]] of "antineoplaston therapy" (ANPs), a name coined by Burzyński for a mix of various peptides extracted from [[Urine therapy|urine]]. Yes, he is in a very literal sense taking the piss. [[PZ Myers]] has taken this up.<ref>[http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2013/01/06/lets-make-houston-cancer-quack-burzynski-pay/ Let’s make Houston cancer quack Burzynski pay!]</ref>

Stories of disappointed [[cancer]] patients who lost large sums of money to Burzyński trying to survive and their relatives are heartbreaking.<ref>[https://archive.ph/3W2Zp Don’t Make the Same Mistake We Did];[http://theotherburzynskipatientgroup.wordpress.com/ Burzynski Patient Haley S’s Story];[http://theotherburzynskipatientgroup.wordpress.com/ The Other Burzynski Patient Group]</ref> Meanwhile, Burzyński lives in an extravagant mansion which is likely paid for with the unholy amount of money his clinic charges for a treatment that has been never shown to work.<ref>Tanoro. (May 13, 2012). [http://www.tanoro.com/blog/05132012-stanislaw-burzynski-millionaire Stanislaw Burzynski, Millionaire?]. Retrieved May 23, 2018.</ref> The nearby Texas Children’s Hospital takes in so many of Burzynski's victims that they recognize when they have been to the clinic, and the staff heavily dislike the clinic, complaining that they are "always cleaning up Burzynski’s messes".<ref>Gorski, D. (June 4,2013) [https://respectfulinsolence.com/2013/06/04/stanislaw-burzynski-versus-the-bbc-2/ Stanislaw Burzynski versus the BBC]. ''Respectful Insolence''. Retrieved May 23, 2018.</ref> Dr. Jeanine Graf in fact has said they have never seen a Burzyński patient survive.

He currently operates under severe restrictions from the Texas Medical Board.<ref>[https://rationalwiki.org/w/images/c/cc/Screenshot_of_Texas_Medical_Board_profile_of_Stanislaw_Rajmund_Burzynski%2C_D9377.png A summary of the disciplinary action taken against Stanislaw Rajmund Burzynski in March 2017 by the Texas Medical Board, (click on the highlighted area)].</ref><ref>[https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B2Z0ehSpPFuTV243dFE4ZkxCRG8/view HEARING CONDUCTED BY THE TEXAS STATE OFFICE OF ADMINISTRATIVE HEARINGS SOAH DOCKET NO. 503-14-1342.MD TEXAS MEDICAL LICENSE NO. D9377] (Texas Medical Board)</ref> The government now monitors the clinic's billing practices and reviews its patient records. Burzyński must attend a Physicians Ethics program and complete units in topics of medical research (like he doesn't know how to dodge the law). He must also submit forms that indicate informed consent from his patients (prior to the treatment) to the Board so the Board can verify that it adheres to regulations and the law. Burzyński must disclose to his patients that he owns the pharmacy and also submit a form indicating ownership disclore regularly to the board. Finally, he must complete a Medical Jurisprudence Exam. Unfortunately, his punishment is just a slap on the wrist compared to the abuse he's committed and profited from. He also could have received a harsher penalty by being fined $360,000 and $20,000 in restitution to a patient while being put on probation for his medical license. Instead, he has a five-year probation with a public reprimand and fees and retribution of just $60,000.<ref>''Redwood Times News''. (March 3rd, 2017). [http://www.redwoodtimes.com/general-news/20170303/texas-medical-board-orders-probation-for-cancer-doctor Texas medical board orders probation for cancer doctor]. Retrieved March 6, 2017.</ref> Either way, the money is not proportional to his damage, as he can quickly recoup those fines through his profits.

As predicted, the Texas Medical Board has done jack shit as Burskynski is busy promoting his deathtrap through KHOU-TV (which has been so egregious promoting his awful practices that a ''Houston Press'' reporter called it a "blowjob", essentially).<ref>Malislow, C. (May 5, 2014). [https://www.houstonpress.com/news/khou-another-day-another-burzynski-b-job-6715454 KHOU: Another Day, Another Burzynski B-Job]. ''HoustonPress''. Retrieved May 4, 2019.</ref> As the local and mainstream media continue writing flattering sob porn about him and as authorities continue twiddling their thumbs, he will continue attracting and torturing new victims.

==Not approved==
The Burzynski treatments are not accepted by actual medical [[science]] and not approved by the [[FDA]]. Instead he has been running a series of trials, sometimes legally and sometimes not, over a period of at least twenty years; in this time there has been no publication in the [[peer-review]]ed literature. This, along with the immense sums charged to patients on the trials (varying from tens to hundreds of thousands of dollars) has led to robust criticism of Burzyński, particularly after an uncritical piece in ''[[The Guardian|The Observer]]'' promoted a $200,000 fundraising drive for a British girl.<ref>[http://scienceblogs.com/pharyngula/2012/07/19/burzynski-is-still-bilking-dying-children/ Burzynski is still bilking dying children] by [[PZ Myers]]</ref> There is general criticism that media are over-optimistic in reports about Burzynski and alternative medicine generally preventing patients from making objective informed choices.<ref>[http://www.broadsheet.ie/2012/07/19/whenever-alternative-medicine-is-mentioned/ Whenever Alternative Medicine Is Mentioned]</ref>

According to official records from the [[FDA]], the Burzynksi clinic has consistently failed to obey even basic protocol meant to protect patients.<ref>Lipson, P. (November 11, 2013). [https://www.forbes.com/sites/peterlipson/2013/11/11/fda-documents-paint-disturbing-picture-of-burzynski-cancer-clinic/#3c4eb0616087 FDA Documents Paint Disturbing Picture Of Burzynski Cancer Clinic]. ''Forbes''. Retrieved May 4, 2019.</ref> For instance, the clinic falsely recorded one patient as being in remission and others having partial responses. In other cases, some patients that underwent chemotherapy right before were enrolled in Burzynski's experiments, which is explicitly forbidden by protocol. In one case, protocol that requires MRI or CT evidence for a tumor has been ignored. Some patients continued participating in the experiment even when protocol requires them to be withdrawn if patients show life-threatening side effects. Finally, the clinic has failed to properly inform patients of the costs of the treatment prior to enrolling in the treatment.

Teh 3vil [[Big Pharma]]z in the person of the [[FDA]] issued the Burzynski clinic with an enforcement notice in October 2012 requiring them to stop promoting ANPs as safe and effective, and to stop using patient testimonials, as ANPs are still "investigational" and may therefore not be promoted for the indications for which they are being investigated. The term "investigated" is used loosely here: Burzyński has over 60 clinical trials registered on clinicaltrials.gov, not one of which has been published. Some people might even be so uncharitable as to think that enrolling people in clinical trials, at a cost to the patient usually in the hundreds of thousands of dollars, and not publishing the results, is unethical.

His response to such criticism was to have his PR 
hack
 representative send a series of posturing legalese letters to bloggers<ref>[http://theness.com/neurologicablog/index.php/the-burzynski-clinic-another-crank-tries-to-intimidate-a-blogger/ The Burzynski Clinic – Another Crank Tries to Intimidate a Blogger], [[Steve Novella]]</ref> including [[Andy Lewis]]<ref>[http://www.quackometer.net/blog/2011/11/the-burzynski-clinic-threatens-my-family.html The Burzynski Clinic Threatens My Family], Andy Lewis</ref> (Quackometer), [[Rhys Morgan]]<ref>[http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2011/nov/30/burzynski-clinic-cancer-libel-laws The Burzynski Clinic is using libel laws to silence critics of its cancer treatment], Rhys Morgan, ''The Grauniad'', 30 November 2011</ref> (teenage quackbuster of the [[Miracle Mineral Supplement]] scam) and others. This invoked a predictable [[Streisand effect]].<ref>[http://sciencebasedpharmacy.wordpress.com/2011/11/28/burzynski-clinic-meet-the-streisand-effect/ Burzynski Clinic? Meet the Streisand Effect] Science Based Pharmacy</ref>

There appears to be no reasonable scientific reason the so-called therapy should work.<ref name=Green/>

==Dud==
Burzynski passes the number one litmus test for [[bullshit]]: he is supported by [[whale.to]], the [[anti-science]], [[Irrationality|anti-rationalist]] agglomeration of every [[crank]] medical theory known to humanity.<ref>[http://www.whale.to/cancer/burzynski.html Burzynski] at whale.to (tinfoil hat recommended)</ref>

He also passes the number two test in that every reputable authority is very careful not to ''actually'' call him a quack, preferring the {{wpl|House of Cards (UK TV series)|Francis Urquhart}} approach &mdash; "You might very well think that; I couldn't possibly comment". For example, the National Cancer Institute says:<ref>[http://www.cancer.gov/cancertopics/pdq/cam/antineoplastons/healthprofessional NCI on antineoplastons]</ref>

*Antineoplastons are drugs composed of chemical compounds that are naturally present in the urine and blood. They are an experimental cancer therapy that is '''purported''' to provide a natural biochemical substance that is excreted and therefore lacking in people with cancer.
*Antineoplastons were '''first proposed as a possible cancer treatment in 1976'''.
*Antineoplastons were originally isolated from human urine but are now synthesized from readily available chemicals in the developer's laboratory.
*Antineoplastons are '''not approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration''' for the prevention or treatment of any disease.
*No randomized controlled trials showing the effectiveness of antineoplastons have been published in the peer-reviewed scientific literature.
*Antineoplaston '''side effects can include serious neurologic toxicity'''.
*Nonrandomized clinical trials investigating the anticancer efficacy of antineoplastons are underway '''at the developer’s institute'''.

From the emphasised text (not in the original) the reader will understand: this is a purported treatment that has produced absolutely no credible results in 35 years of assiduous promotion by Burzyński and despite the amount of cash Burzyński is living with, which could have been used for funding better experiments, and nobody else is even interested in testing it any more.

The FDA has accused Burzyński of overdosing patients and falsifying records so results from his treatment appear better than they really are. Burzyński received a formal warning.<ref>[http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/nation/2013/12/11/fda-issues-warning-to-controversial-houston-cancer-doctor/3990623/ FDA issues warning to controversial Houston cancer doctor, questioning validity of some of his research data.]</ref>

==Documentary==
In lieu of peer-reviewed publications Burzynski has opted for the obviously superior medium of a "documentary" entitled ''Burzynski the Movie: Cancer is a Serious Business''<ref group =note>See the External links section above</ref> that sets out his stall as a wronged man done down by the evil FDA and the [[Big Pharma]] [[Conspiracy theory|Conspiracy]]. This approach has inexplicably failed to convince the scientific and medical establishment; it also caused director Eric Merola to become quite defensive towards critics himself.<ref>[http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2012/11/10/eric-merola-apparently-doesnt-like-what-orac-writes-about-stanislaw-burzynski/ Eric Merola apparently doesn't like what Orac wrote about Stanislaw Burzynski,] Respectful Insolence</ref> "''How'' defensive?", you may ask. How does using a (possibly bogus) [[Digital Millennium Copyright Act|DMCA]] takedown notice to silence online critics grab you?<ref>[http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2013/04/19/eric-merola-issuing-bogus-dmca-takedown-notices-against-critics-of-stanislaw-burzynski/ Is Eric Merola issuing bogus DMCA takedown notices against critics of Stanislaw Burzynski?] Respectful Insolence</ref>

Merola's apparently insatiable need to defend Burzynski extends to his whining about unrelated antineoplaston studies being rejected by medical journals such as ''Lancet Oncology'', apparently because the rejection of ''one'' study (the Kurume University Hospital study led by Dr. Hidaeki Tsuda, in this case) would reflect poorly on Burzynski's reputation as well.<ref>[http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2013/08/12/antineoplaston-fails-publication/ A study of antineoplastons fails to be published. Stanislaw Burzynski’s propagandist Eric Merola whines about it. News at 11.] Respectful Insolence</ref>

==Fellow travelers on the 
quack
 alternative medicine train==
[[File:Fabio Lanzoni 2014.jpg|thumb|right|150px|Fabio]]
Besides Merola, [[Joseph Mercola]] is an admirer, almost to the point of proclaiming Burzynski a Misunderstood alt-medicine genius oppressed by the FDA and mainstream medical practitioners everywhere.<ref>[http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2013/01/21/quoth-joe-mercola-i-love-me-some-burzynski-antineoplastons/ Quoth Joe Mercola: I love me some Burzynski antineoplastons,] Respectful Insolence.</ref>

Mercola screened a second Burzynski agitprop film during the April 2013 Newport Beach film festival,<ref>[http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2013/03/14/five-things-i-learned-second-hand-from-the-recent-screening-of-burzynski-cancer-is-serious-business-part-2/ Five things I learned (second hand) from the recent screening of Burzynski: Cancer Is Serious Business, Part 2] Respectful Insolence</ref> and, oddly enough, a special celebrity guest was called upon to help promote it: none other than Fabio (yes, ''that'' Fabio) Lanzoni.<ref>[http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2013/04/30/eric-merola-stanislaw-burzynskis-secret-weapon-against-the-skeptics-fabio-lanzoni/ Eric Merola and Stanislaw Burzynski’s secret weapon against The Skeptics™: Fabio Lanzoni (I kid you not),] Respectful Insolence</ref> Although this partnership may seem nothing short of surreal, the probable reason Lanzoni fell for Burzynski and Merola's pitch is that his sister is receiving treatment at the Burzynski clinic. The clinic probably just ensured his sister's death, which was on August 14, 2013.

==...and not==
On the other hand, former patients like Wayne Merritt<ref>https://archive.ph/3W2Zp</ref> and quite a few others<ref>[http://theotherburzynskipatientgroup.wordpress.com/ The OTHER Burzynski Patient Group]</ref> might have a bit of an issue with Mercola's enthusiastic characterization of Burzynski. Merritt, in particular, has come in for legal harassment by the Burzynski clinic as a result.<ref>[http://boingboing.net/2013/01/18/cancer-quackery-news-stanisla.html Cancer quackery news: Stanislaw Burzynski threatens one of his own patients over website,] Boing Boing</ref>

Burzynski may not enjoy being the recipient of a Pigasus Award from the [[James Randi Educational Foundation]] for his fine work in ([[Pseudoscience|pseudo-]])science, either.<ref>[http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/jref-news/2074-jrefs-pigasus-awards-honors-dubious-peddlers-of-woo.html JREF's Pigasus Awards “Honors” Dubious Peddlers of “Woo”,] JREF web site</ref>

==Patient testimonials==
Select quotes from the multitudes of Burzynski's victims.

===[https://theotherburzynskipatientgroup.wordpress.com/2017/08/25/burzynski-patient-eduardo-m-s-story/ Eduardo M.]===
{{quotebox|After the initial surgery he traveled to Texas with hopes of this “experimental treatment”, […] connected to that painful-noisy machine, who filled him up with fluids and made him thirsty until death… after six painful months he died, after being told by that charlatan “we will kill this tumour!"[...]<br><br>Of course, the bill back then (in 1998) was over US $120,000… They were paid by my uncle…[...]<br><br>I was SO angry at the end when my dad died… but how can you take any action being overseas? When my dad died, we did not get an “I am sorry”, just the question regarding when we would pay the outstanding bill…}}

===[https://theotherburzynskipatientgroup.wordpress.com/2016/01/18/burzynski-patient-zackery-f-s-story/ Zachery F.]===
{{quotebox|The treatments in Texas go terribly wrong, causing Zachery’s tumor to swell and sending the boy into a coma, his father said. [Zachary’s father] uses his remaining $10,000 to rent a Lear jet and full medical staff to rush Zachery back to UCLA.}}

Zachery's father essentially saved Zachery's life, and Zachery, who was a child at the time, was 20 when the post was made.

==See also==
*[[Urine therapy]]

== External links==
*[http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/stanislaw-burzynski-bad-medicine-a-bad-movie/ Stanislaw Burzynski: Bad medicine, a bad movie, and bad P.R.] Covers Eric Merola's ''Burzynski the Movie: Cancer is a Serious Business''
*[http://www.sciencebasedmedicine.org/index.php/stanislaw-burzynski-antineoplastons-and-the-orphan-drug-sodium-phenyl-butyrate/ Dr. Stanislaw Burzynski, antineoplastons, and the selling of an orphan drug as a cancer cure]
*[http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2012/11/02/stanislaw-burzynski-fails-to-save-another-patient/ Stanislaw Burzynski fails to save another patient,] Respectful Insolence, 11/2/12
*[http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2012/11/07/stanislaw-burzynski-slapped-down-by-the-fda-once-again/ Stanislaw Burzynski: Slapped down by the FDA once again,] Respectful Insolence, 11/7/12
*[http://scienceblogs.com/insolence/2012/11/08/stanislaw-burzynski-and-clarity-from-the-fda/ Stanislaw Burzynski and "clarity" from the FDA,] Respectful Insolence, 11/8/12
*[http://theotherburzynskipatientgroup.wordpress.com/ The OTHER Burzynski Patient Group] Stories by his patients who ''didn't'' get better.
*[http://www.randi.org/site/index.php/jref-news/2074-jrefs-pigasus-awards-honors-dubious-peddlers-of-woo.html Stanislaw Burzynski "wins" a Pigasus Award from the James Randi Educational Foundation]

==Notes==
{{reflist|group=note}}

==References==
{{reflist|2|90%}}

{{altmedbox|1}}

[[Category:Cancer woo]]
[[Category:Scams]]
[[Category:Texas]]

Categories: Cancer woo, Scams, Texas