Stem Cell Fraud: A 60 Minutes investigation

 

(CBS News) 

Dr. Dan Ecklund claims he can treat dozens of diseases using stem cells. But there's a problem. Ecklund is a disgraced doctor whose medical license was revoked in 2005. That hasn't kept him from founding a company and a website that offer hope where science cannot. Scott Pelley investigates the lucrative business of miracle stem cell "cures." It's 21st century snake oil being peddled to desperate people, including the parents of one young boy, Adam Susser, who has cerebral palsy and is blind and quadriplegic.

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The following is a script of "Stem Cell Fraud" which aired on Jan. 8, 2012. Scott Pelley is the correspondent. Oriana Zill and Michael Rey, producers.

There's no greater desperation than to be told that you, or your child, has a disease for which there is no hope. Many people with incurable illness look forward to the promise of stem cells. Stem cells have the potential to turn into any kind of cell and, in theory, they could repair damaged cells though scientists tell us that we're years away from realizing that dream. There is no stem cell miracle today, so conmen have moved in to offer the hope that science cannot. Just look online and you will find hundreds of credible looking websites offering stem cell cures in overseas clinics.

Two years ago we began investigating stem cell charlatans. We worked with patients suffering from incurable diseases and we discovered conmen, posing as doctors, conducting dangerous medical experiments.

[Scott Pelley: You know, Mr. Stowe, the trouble is that you're a conman.]

Our report started a federal investigation.

Since that story, we have been digging into the rapidly growing trade in fake stem cell cures. And we've found something even more alarming: illegal stem cell transplants that are dangerous and delivered to your doorstep. They're scams that often bilk the desperate out of their last dollar of savings and their last ounce of hope.

Anatomy of a 60 Minutes hidden-camera interview
Where'd they hide the cameras? Watch this behind-the-scenes breakdown as the crew sets up a surprise interview

[Brandon Susser: I know you're tired.]

Adam and Brandon Susser are 11-year-old twins. Adam has cerebral palsy, his brain was damaged by a lack of oxygen before he and his brother were born.

Gary Susser: He's confined to a wheelchair. He needs assistance with all his daily living activities from cleanliness to feeding, to clothing.

Gary and Judy Susser have searched for anything that might improve on the judgment handed down by Adam's doctors.

Gary Susser: The sentence of being a quadriplegic, the sentence of being totally blind, the pronouncement by physicians that we should put him away.

Scott Pelley: Those were the things that his regular doctors were telling you?

Gary Susser: Correct. We were being advised literally, "Put him away. He's gonna destroy your life."

So back in 2003, the Sussers took a chance on the theory of stem cells. Adam was three. They brought him to a doctor in Mexico who injected stem cells with no idea whether they would work.

Judy Susser: We both decided that in the severity of his condition that we'd have to try it.

Apparently, there was no harm and no miracle.

Gary Susser: The progress that he made after that was minimal at best and therefore we didn't see any good coming out of it.

Today, people like the Sussers can find hundreds of sophisticated websites offering stem cell treatments for every hopeless disease.

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[pilatesInstructor]

*** STEM CELL HOAXES AND FRAUDS for CANCER VICTIMS ****
I realize this show was about ALS, but READER's: PLEASE PLEASE BE AWARE that true scams perpetuate FAKE TESTIMONIAL CURES of CANCER. Before spending $200-$300K (total) on a hoped-for cancer cure by a person who tells you they have been cured or near cured of cancer with stem cells, particularly at a clinic in SEOUL, S KOREA (where stem cell treatments for such are illegal), ASK FOR PROOF that they ever HAD cancer. DON'T take their word for it. St. Jude's website warns about people "raising money" for faked cancers and those with Munchausens, who self-diagnose their many diseases & never had cancer. Verify such confirmation by biopsy report, CT scan, surgery reports, or blood tests with the patient's US doctor (get their written permission to contact their doc). If they were not diagnosed by a TISSUE sample biopsy, never had CANCER surgery, never any chemo or radiation or cyberknife, then being cured of cancer may be a hoax. They may be an unsuspecting VICTIM, themselves. There is a great website that teaches PRACTICAL TIPS on HOW TO RESEARCH STEM CELL CLINICS/Doctors at http://thegeekgirlblog.blogspot.com/ (pay close attention to Paragraph 6.a and 6.b), and other websites below. Also there's a website on HOW TO RECOGNIZE a HOAX CANCER CURE at http://www.quackwatch.com/01QuackeryRelatedTopics/Cancer/miracles.html says (and NOTE #1 !) "If you hear that an "alternative" method has produced "miraculous" recoveries from cancer, you should be skeptical.
There are at least 5 reasons why such a report may be erroneous:
[my comments are in brackets]:
"1. The patient never had cancer."
[My comment: This is common! There was a young lady with self-diagnosed ovarian cancer at a public cancer chat room(hates doctors-her doc would not agree she had cancer), was raising the INITIAL advance cash fee (~$45K) to go to Seoul, S. Korea, to a stem-cell clinic; she did not have CONFIRMED cancer. Claiming nearly cured, she may be referring cancer victims to that Seoul clinic.]
"2. The cancer was cured or put into remission by proven therapy, but questionable therapy was also used and erroneously credited for the beneficial result."
[My comment: The Seoul urologist she went to also requires, based on dozens of patients' blogs, "proven therapies" i.e., chemo, radiation, vitamins, steroids, & cyberknife (NO anesthesia!)--all at extra cost-averaging $30-$50K--ALWAYS cash. ]
"3. The cancer is progressing but is erroneously represented as slowed or cured."
[My comment: this "error," so common based, again, on patients' public blogs, gets discovered when cancer "returns" (never really gone?) in a very short time (6-16 weeks, some sooner).
"4. The patient represented as cured may have died of cancer..."
[My comment: One website of a stem cell clinic in Seoul and Cabo that has NO contact information, has testimonials of 2 DEAD patients--one died 4 mos. after writing his letter AND his letter was posted there almost 2 years AFTER he had died!]
I also express CAUTION about these 5 SUSPICIOUS testimonials by these 5 kinds of patients:
A. Testimony of patients RECENTLY told they are cured, perhaps mistakenly believing they are, cannot be validated until time has passed and they REMAIN cured. I know about 50 patients who mistakenly THOUGHT they were 90% cured. Chemo or cyberknife may temporarily get rid of the cancer, but that is normal, NOT a miracle, and available in the U.S. with health insurance. "Cured" is 5 years cancer free.
B. Some patients receive free care and are compelled to give exaggerated testimonials, even if cancer has returned. Cured patients who have not yet verified their "cure" with tests or CTs done in the U.S. by their own US doctor (not at the foreign doctor's Houston, Texas, USA lab). ASK for proof they ARE paying for their monthly $10,000 follow up treatments.
C. If a patient is heavily FINANCIALLY invested in the doctor's clinic, that removes validity to their testimony--ask them;
D. If a patient is EMPLOYED by the doctor, their testimony is suspect.
E. Again, repeating above, the person claiming to be cured or near cure needs to be able to PROVE they actually had cancer diagnosed in the U.S., not by the foreign doctor.
BEWARE! Don't let your desperation lead you to paying dearly for nothing but very expensive HOPE while being relieved of your life savings.
More information on stem cell fraud:
http://www.cbsnews.com/video/watch/?id=7357494n#addcomm --and-- http://www.newscientist.com/article/dn19056-death-revives-warnings-about-rogue-stem-cell-clinics.html?page=1 --and-- http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/09/09/60minutes/main6850496.shtml?tag=dsGoogleModule (2 parts) --and-- http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505263_162-57354974/scott-pelley-on-monstrous-stem-cell-fraud --and--a non profit org: http://www.closerlookatstemcells.org/

[Randwro]

Great piece on the dark side of crippling disabilities. How about a piece on something that REALLY WORKS? Its not a miracle cure, but for the thousands of parents, educators and therapists who have used it, Active Learning is an educational approach that truly can reach the kids and older learners who have CP and/or cognitive disabilities who are under the developmental age of 4. We know because it worked for our daughter with severe disabilities, where nothing else did.

Active Learning is practiced widely in Michigan, Texas and parts of California, Europe, Australia and South Africa. Unfortunately, the approach is not well known outside of these areas. That's where 60 Minutes could improve the lives of tens of thousands, by just letting them know. Its a great human interest story with the founder of the approach, Dr. Lilli Nielsen, a Danish professor, now in her 80's, a truly unique character. Please see/contact WWW.LILLIWORKS.ORG for more information.

[iarons]

Here is the url, if the website allows it: http://irvaronsjournal.blogspot.com

[iarons]

Take a look at my online Journal (Irv Arons' Journal) for the latest news about the use of stem cells in ophthalmology. The last two articles discuss the progress being made using stem cells for treating Stargardt's Disease and the dry form of age-related macular degeneration, and a complete list of Government approved clinical trials.

Google Irv Arons' Journal.

Irv Arons

[Tasok71]

60 Minutes is good at ambushing people, and hiding behind their bully pulpit so that their targets don't get to respond to their distortions, lies, and half-truths. Will they allow you to see Dr. Ecklund's rebuttal at http://www.stem-cell-treatment-now.com/60MinutesResponse.html ?

[stillwish4truth]

We took my father to Dr. Morales (mentioned in the last 2 minutes) in Tijuana in 2006. Spending $30,000 I guess we should not be surprised at this news considering he never even followed up at any point in the last 5 years.

I guess you dont have to ask if something works if you know it won't! Of course once we were in Tijuana they did make sure to say we would need many more rounds ($20,000 per).

Feel so stupid to have not seen this story until now.

I have touted the wonders of stem cells in the past because I beleived in the doctor who brought us to Dr. Morales, we trusted him even though we now know he scammed money from our family too and probably skimmed money off the top of the treatment. We trusted that Dr. morales told us where the stem cells came from (a noted US entity). We trusted these people with my fathers life.

But at the end of the day I have had to ask myself this and maybe you all should too, "if Stem Cell therapys somewhere else in the world was working or were so great WHY ISN'T MICHAEL J FOX THERE????". He is touting it on capital hill!!! He has the money to go to china! Just think if he got cured what it would do!!!

For the celebrities to tout stem cell research when they make no sense is beyond me or maybe its just that the american public doesnt challenge it.

For the record, I HATE drug companies. I do beleive there are cures for cancer etc but b/c of big money we never see them. But I have lost faith that stem cells have any answers other than to give false hope to those of us who desperately wanted it to be the answer!

[morgansmiracle]

As a parent of a terminally ill child who recently received stem cell treatment the story keeps the fears of alternative solutions front and center. Hope they take the story full circle and look at the positive side of the stem cell debate. In November we took our son to stem cell clinic outside of the US and had completely different experience than what was reported in the broadcast. As a parent having fought this battle for years, it seems to come down to one thing. The United States is having a hard time accepting its diminished role in the world? The fact is that US health care system is not the force it once was and people are frustrated being trapped from proven solutions.

We created a section on our son's website dedicated to his trip in November for his stem cells.

http://www.morgansmiracle.com/

When you give up hope you give up the possibility of a cure.

[morgansmiracle]

As a parent of a terminally ill child who recently received stem cell treatment the story keeps the fears of alternative solutions front and center. Hope they take the story full circle and look at the positive side of the stem cell debate. In November we took our son to a stem cell clinic outside of the US and had completely different experience than what was reported in the broadcast. As a parent having fought this battle for years, it seems to come down to one common thing. The United States is having a hard time accepting its diminished role in the world? The fact is that US health care system is not the force it once was and people are frustrated being trapped from proven solutions.

We created a section on our son's website dedicated to his trip in November for his stem cells.

http://www.morgansmiracle.com/

When you give up hope you give up the possibility of a cure.

[CBTF]

Making responsible choices when facing a serious illness may be challenging. Check out the Children's Brain Tumor Foundations latest blog which references this story and provides helpful guidelines to families seeking treatment from online resources.

http://www.cbtf.org/blog/2012/01/10/online-treatments

[fayeforcure]

The segment is distorted to make it appear as if ALL overseas clinics are frauds because they are unapproved by the FDA.

In fact the Sussers have used another Mexico clinic that they believed did improve their son. This segment stated there was little improvement from that Mexico treatment, yet here is what the Sussers say about their "out of the country" stem cell treament in 2005:

Adam's parents say he has shown great improvement since he received two umbilical cord stem cell treatments in February and November.

*****"After the second treatment, he started talking, making more sounds, being more verbal," said Judy Susser, who said he also has more strength, mobility and flexibility.*****

A little less than three months after receiving his first stem cell treatment, doctors told the Sussers that Adam probably would never see.

*****But about three weeks later, they watched as Adam followed a ball across the floor with his eyes that his twin brother, Brandon, had rolled to him.*****

http://articles.sun-sentinel.com/2005-05-27/news/0505240220_1_cell-treatments-umbilical-gary-susser

None of the overseas clinics claim miraculous improvements..........they only claim the potential for improvement that varies per patient.

Though we have stem cells in storage (frozen) from umbilical cord, placenta and bone marrow for my son who became paralyzed from a soccer injury, we have opted to wait until far more significant improvements are possible. The search is still on for the best way to process and apply the stem cells.

Currently we only see minor improvements in those treated, but even those minor improvements may be better than none for many of these patients!!!

After all, conventional medicine has little to nothing to offer.