Oklahoma residents who have followed the career of physician Stanislaw Burzunski, a popular but controversial doctor who treats cancer patients, may have heard that he is under investigation by the Texas medical board that is trying to revoke his license. The doctor has been the focus of many legal proceedings and investigations.
Burzunski’s supporters say that the medical establishment is trying to suppress the alternative therapies he promotes as cancer treatment. His critics say that his approaches are dangerous and can even be deadly. Burzunski, who has no oncology training, has run multiple trials approved by the Food and Drug Administration testing his theory that drugs known as antineoplastons can cure cancer. At least six people have died in those trials from too much sodium in the blood which can be attributed to the antineoplastons. So far, there has been no verifiable evidence that the drugs work.
Burzunski has used other treatments as well that are not mainstream. The Texas Medical Board, arguing that the treatments are dangerous, has brought another case against the doctor in an effort to revoke his medical license. Hearings began in November.
Sometimes, people with a serious illness become more willing to try unconventional treatments, and some medical professionals will take advantage of that willingness and offer a treatment that is largely untested. This may constitute medical malpractice. A person who suffers harm from such treatment or their family may want to discuss the situation with an attorney. In some cases, as with Burzunski, there may have already been complaints against them or even a settlement. Filing a lawsuit against a doctor in a situation like this may be a way to raise publicity about their actions as well as a way of seeking compensation for damages.