Is cancer caused by vitamin B17 deficiency?

Question

I have read in an article on the internet that cancer is caused due to deficiency of vitamin B17 which has been removed from our diets long ago in the western food. But some people say that vitamin B17 does not work. So, is it deficiency of vitamin B17 which causes cancer i.e. can this vitamin really be used to cure cancer?

Answer 1

Every type of cancer is different. Take lung cancer for instance: we all know that smoking can cause lung cancer, but some lung cancer isn't caused by smoking. So even within the same type of cancer there is considerable heterogeneity. It is often better to think of cancer as about 100 different diseases instead of thinking about it as one big disease.

Secondly vitamin B17 has as a structural component, mandelonitrile, that contains cyanide. The compound is exceedingly toxic and had shown very little anti-cancer activity in the laboratory. The drug causes cyanide toxicity and liver damage, and is not recommended for cancer treatment.