Cancer claims millions of lives across the world, according to the World Health Organization. But at stage four, these combinations of baking soda and molasses or soursop leaf cannot cure the disease.
Drinking a mix of molasses and baking soda or soursop leaf and baking soda can cure stage four cancer. That's according to a post circulating on Facebook in June 2023.
The post reads: "House for any one with cancer even at stage 4 this information will help you surely you must come and thank me later i really need your Testimony."
It gives readers instructions on how to prepare the mixture: "Get a cup of hot water add a spoon of molasses and a spoon of bicarbonate soda."
The post provides another combination: "Boil enough soursop leaf take a cup with a spoon of baking soda daily."
The claim has been reposted 100 times and shared elsewhere on Facebook here.
Cancer is a disease where body cells grow uncontrollably and may spread to other parts of the body. In 2022, the World Health Organization classified it as the leading cause of death around the world. The advancement of cancer in the body is represented in stages from zero to four.
But is it true that these concoctions can cure stage four cancer? We checked.
Stage four cancer cure?
Stage zero is the foundational stage of cancer and it is most commonly treatable, because the cancer is still at the part of the body where it started.
Sign up for free AllAfrica Newsletters
Get the latest in African news delivered straight to your inbox
Stage four is the most advanced as the cancer has spread to other parts of the body.
"Stage four cancer isn't usually curable, but treatment may improve overall survival and quality of life," says Healthline, a US-based website that shares medical content.
Healthline further explains that the treatment of stage four cancer depends on different factors including the type of cancer, its response to treatment and the patient's overall health.
What we do is palliative care at advanced stage - expert
"When cancer is at stage three or four, it is what we refer to as the advanced stages of cancer. Basically, stages one and two are curable. The advanced stages are no longer curable in most instances. At this stage, what we do is palliative care," Tajudeen Olasinde, a professor of radiation and clinical oncology at Ahmadu Bello University in Nigeria, told Africa Check.
Palliative treatment is aimed at improving the patient's quality of life. According to the US-based National Institute of Aging, people who are suffering from a serious illness, such as cancer, get specialised medical care known as palliative care.
Olasinde said when cancer is detected early, there are certain ways to regulate the growth of affected cells. But when it gets to stage four, it is almost impossible to manage. So the combinations in the Facebook post cannot treat or cure cancer at that stage.
