Govallo Therapy
This treatment modality is used in place of conventional therapies to treat cancer. Seek advice from a qualified physician before replacing standard cancer therapy with Govallo therapy.
What does the Govallo therapy involve?
Valentin Govallo, MD, PhD, a Russian physician, developed the Govallo therapy after researching the similarities between the mother-fetus and host-tumor immune interaction systems. In 1975, Dr. Govallo began treating cancer patients with an extract derived from placental chorionic villi obtained during live full-term deliveries. Currently, therapy at the Immune Augmentative Therapy (IAT) clinic in the Bahamas consists of two injections. The dose varies depending on the severity of the patient's condition.
How is Govallo therapy thought to treat cancer?
The human body possesses the ability to recognize cell systems which are not normal and of an autologous origin, such as bacteria and foreign particles, and to destroy them. Thus, the immune system must be suppressed when a patient receives a transplant organ, for example, so that organ rejection does not occur. Along these same lines, Govallo reasoned that malignant cells survive because they possess their own defense system that protects them from attack by the patient’s immune system so that they are not "rejected" by the body. In contrast to most immunotherapies that are designed to stimulate the immune system, the goal of the Govallo therapy is to weaken or suppress factors within the tumor itself that cripple the normal immune response of the patient. Once those "suppression factors" are shut down, the immune system can function normally and destroy the malignant tissues.
What has been proven about the benefit of the Govallo therapy?
The University of Texas M.D. Anderson Cancer Center conducted an extensive human studies literature review of the Govallo therapy and found two case reports relevant to cancer. These case reports claimed better three, five and ten year survival rates for patients who received placental extract injections compared to controls. However, no statistical results were provided.
What is the potential risk or harm of the Govallo therapy?
Reported side effects include fever, shivering and light weakness. There are no known risks associated with the Govallo therapy.
How much does the Govallo therapy cost?
The Immune Augmentative Therapy clinic in Freeport, Bahamas charges $8,500 for Govallo therapy. There is also a $50 charge for a follow up test of immunocompetence and $1,500 for each additional booster shot. A protocol change has been proposed which would reduce the cost of the treatment.
For additional information:
Immune Augmentative Therapy Clinic
IAT (Bahamas) Ltd.
P.O. Box F-42689
Freeport, Grand Bahama, Bahamas
Telephone: (242) 352-7455
Web site: http://immunemedicine.com/
The University of Texas M. D. Anderson Cancer Center
1515 Holcombe Boulevard
Houston, TX 77030
Telephone: (800) 392-1611
Web site: www.mdanderson.org/departments/CIMER/
Note: Information about therapies is intended to help you make informed choices, not to endorse any particular therapy. The information is courtesy of "Integrating Complementary and Alternative Therapies for Cancer Patients," a handbook written as an independent study project by Heather Morein. For more information, see the full text of the handbook (PDF), including all references and appendices.