Last update:November 23, 2024, 4:18 p.m. IST

The hospital urged the public to seek evidence-based treatments, such as surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy, which have been shown to be effective in treating cancer when detected early.

Tata Memorial experts urge cancer patients not to rely on unproven remedies. (Photo: The Indian Express)

Cancer patients should not delay or stop their treatment by following unproven remedies, said oncologists at Tata Memorial Hospital after former Indian cricketer Navjot Singh Sidhu asserted at a conference press that his wife Navjot Kaur had beaten stage 4 cancer through diet and lifestyle changes.

In a statement published on haldi (turmeric) and neem helped cure her “incurable”. “These comments are not supported by any high-quality evidence,” said the statement signed by 262 oncologists at Tata Memorial Hospital, past and present.

Although research is ongoing on some of these products, there is currently no clinical data to recommend their use as anticancer agents, the statement added.

“We urge the public not to delay their treatment by following unproven remedies, but rather to consult a doctor, preferably a cancer specialist, if they experience symptoms of cancer. Cancer is curable if detected early and proven treatments include surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy,” read the statement published in “Public Interest”.

Posting an excerpt from Sidhu’s press conference on These are unscientific and unfounded recommendations. She underwent evidence-based surgery and chemotherapy, which made her cancer-free. Not haldi, neem, etc.”

(This story has not been edited by News18 staff and is published from a syndicated news agency feed – PTI)