Frog Saliva Does Not Treat Colorectal Cancer
There is no evidence that frog saliva has any role in the treatment of colorectal cancer, and it should not be used or recommended for this purpose. The established, evidence-based treatments for colorectal cancer include surgery, chemotherapy (fluoropyrimidine-based regimens with or without oxaliplatin/irinotecan), targeted therapies (anti-VEGF and anti-EGFR antibodies), and immunotherapy for specific molecular subtypes 1.
Standard Treatment Approaches for Colorectal Cancer
For Resectable Disease
- Surgery with total mesorectal excision remains the cornerstone of curative treatment for early-stage colorectal cancer, with 5-year survival exceeding 60% for stage I disease 1, 2.
- Adjuvant chemotherapy with fluoropyrimidine-based regimens (5-FU/leucovorin or capecitabine) or FOLFOX should be administered for 6 months in high-risk stage II and stage III disease 1, 2.
For Metastatic Disease
- Combination chemotherapy with FOLFOX (5-FU/leucovorin/oxaliplatin) or FOLFIRI (5-FU/leucovorin/irinotecan) provides superior response rates, progression-free survival, and overall survival compared to fluoropyrimidine monotherapy 1.
- Doublet chemotherapy should be offered as first-line treatment, or triplet therapy (FOLFOXIRI) may be offered to selected patients with initially unresectable metastatic disease 1.
Targeted Therapy Selection
- For MSI-H/dMMR tumors, pembrolizumab immunotherapy is recommended in the first-line setting rather than traditional chemotherapy 1, 2.
- For microsatellite stable, RAS wild-type, left-sided tumors, chemotherapy combined with anti-EGFR antibodies (cetuximab or panitumumab) is recommended 1.
- For RAS wild-type, right-sided tumors, chemotherapy combined with anti-VEGF therapy (bevacizumab) is recommended 1.
- Encorafenib plus cetuximab is recommended for previously treated BRAF V600E-mutant metastatic colorectal cancer that has progressed after at least one prior line of therapy 1.
Why Unproven Treatments Are Dangerous
Risk of Treatment Delay
- 30-50% of patients with colon cancer will relapse after optimal primary treatment, and most will die from their disease 1.
- The median survival for metastatic colorectal cancer is approximately 15% at 5 years, making timely initiation of evidence-based therapy critical 1.
- Delaying proven treatments in favor of unproven remedies like frog saliva directly increases mortality risk.
Established Treatment Efficacy
- Modern combination chemotherapy with targeted agents has improved median survival in metastatic disease to nearly 30 months in clinical trials 1.
- Intensive surveillance and early detection of recurrence improves overall survival by 7-13%, comparable to the benefit of adjuvant chemotherapy itself 1.
Clinical Pitfalls to Avoid
- Never recommend or endorse unproven "natural" or alternative treatments for colorectal cancer, as this may lead patients to delay or refuse evidence-based therapies with proven mortality benefits.
- Always ensure molecular testing (RAS, BRAF, MSI/MMR status) is completed before initiating first-line therapy for metastatic disease, as this determines optimal treatment selection 1.
- Multidisciplinary team evaluation is essential for determining resectability of metastatic disease, as surgical resection of liver or lung metastases offers potential cure in selected patients 1, 2.