Gianfilippo Bertelli, M.D.

The so-called Di Bella therapy is an unorthodox cancer treatment which was at the center of a collective hysteria in Italy for several months during 1997 and 1998. The treatment is named after its proponent, Professor Luigi Di Bella (1912-2003), a retired physiologist who lived in Modena. It is based on a combination of somatostatin, vitamins, retinoids, melatonin, and bromocriptine. ACTH (adrenocorticotropic hormone) and low oral doses of the well-known chemotherapeutic agents cyclophosphamide and hydroxyurea are sometimes also included. Di Bella claimed that his treatment stimulates the body’s self-healing properties without damaging healthy cells. However, he provided no supportive experimental evidence, and—despite his claims to have cured thousands of patients with a variety of cancers—never documented his clinical results in a peer-reviewed scientific journal. Silvio …