{"entity":{"id":"hydrazine-sulfate","kind":"technology","name":"Hydrazine sulfate","aka":[],"tldr":"Hydrazine sulfate was promoted in the 1970s and 80s to reverse cancer weight loss and prolong life. Three large randomised trials sponsored by the National Cancer Institute found no benefit and more side effects, and the compound is a suspected carcinogen.","summary":"Hydrazine sulfate was proposed to interrupt gluconeogenesis and so starve tumours while preserving the patient's weight, on the basis of small Russian and American studies. Three randomised placebo-controlled trials in the early 1990s in non-small-cell lung cancer and colorectal cancer, together enrolling more than 600 patients, found no improvement in survival, weight or quality of life, and one found worse quality of life; neurotoxicity and hepatorenal toxicity occurred, and hydrazine is a known animal carcinogen. The NCI PDQ summary concludes there is no evidence of benefit. It remains a case study in how small uncontrolled reports create lasting demand.","status":"negative","asOf":"2026-09-10","wikipedia":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hydrazine_sulfate","links":[{"label":"NCI PDQ: Hydrazine sulfate","url":"https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/cam/hp/hydrazinesulfate-pdq"}],"tags":["complementary","supportive-care","evidence:no-benefit"],"related":[],"cancers":["nsclc","colorectal"],"sections":["supportive-care"],"technologies":["integrative-oncology","cachexia-therapy"],"targets":[],"drugs":[],"companies":[],"institutions":[],"pathways":[],"terms":["cachexia"],"trials":[],"people":[],"bottlenecks":["b-misinformation","b-negative-results"],"keyPapers":[],"journals":[],"dependsOn":[],"notes":[],"principle":"Inhibition of phosphoenolpyruvate carboxykinase to block hepatic gluconeogenesis; no clinical effect on cachexia or tumour growth was demonstrated.","strengths":["Definitively tested in randomised trials"],"limitations":["No benefit in three randomised trials","Neurotoxicity, hepatotoxicity","Suspected carcinogen"]},"route":"/technologies/hydrazine-sulfate/","neighbours":{"cancer":[{"id":"colorectal","kind":"cancer","name":"Colorectal cancer","route":"/cancers/colorectal/"},{"id":"nsclc","kind":"cancer","name":"Non-small-cell lung cancer","route":"/cancers/nsclc/"}],"section":[{"id":"supportive-care","kind":"section","name":"Supportive Care & Survivorship","route":"/fronts/supportive-care/"}],"technology":[{"id":"cachexia-therapy","kind":"technology","name":"Cachexia-directed therapy (GDF-15 blockade)","route":"/technologies/cachexia-therapy/"},{"id":"integrative-oncology","kind":"technology","name":"Evidence-based integrative oncology","route":"/technologies/integrative-oncology/"}],"term":[{"id":"cachexia","kind":"term","name":"Cancer cachexia","route":"/terms/cachexia/"}],"bottleneck":[{"id":"b-negative-results","kind":"bottleneck","name":"Failures are hidden","route":"/bottlenecks/b-negative-results/"},{"id":"b-misinformation","kind":"bottleneck","name":"Misinformation and unproven therapies","route":"/bottlenecks/b-misinformation/"}]}}