Elle Macpherson.
Photo: Felix Hörhager / DPA / dpa Picture-Alliance via AFP

New Zealand experts and cancer survivors say supermodel Elle Macpherson’s claims about her holistic approach to cancer treatment are misleading, dangerous and could have tragic consequences.

In an interview given in connection with the premiere Elle: Life, lessons and learning to trust yourself, Part memoir, part self-help book, in which Macpherson reveals that she had intraductal carcinoma seven years ago, underwent a lumpectomy and is now in remission.

The wellness company co-founder wrote about rejecting conventional medicine, including chemotherapy, radiation and mastectomy. Instead, she said Australian Women’s Weekly that she sought advice from 32 doctors and experts and decided on an “intuitive, heart-based, holistic approach.”

The model and mother of two, who turned 60 earlier this year, admitted in the book that this path is not for everyone.

“Saying no to standard medical advice was the hardest thing I’ve ever done in my life. But saying no to my inner saner self would be even harder,” she wrote.

But the Breast Cancer Foundation has said that ductal carcinoma in situ, or DCIS, which Macpherson had, is the earliest form of breast cancer and does not require chemotherapy.

All cases of DCIS were classified as stage 0 breast cancer because they were confined to the duct walls and could not invade blood or lymph vessels, which is the typical route for cancer to spread throughout the body.

The foundation said DCIS is sometimes called preinvasive, noninvasive or intraductal breast cancer. Although not life-threatening, DCIS can increase the risk of developing invasive breast cancer.

He was concerned about the implications of Macpherson’s comments.

Presenter Sarah Gandy, who is still taking medication after being diagnosed with breast cancer five years ago, said: RNZ that these comments can have tragic consequences.

Sarah Gandy, born
Photo: Provided / Breast Cancer Foundation New Zealand

“When you get into the details, you start to think, ‘It’s not like she had cancer, it went away naturally and now she’s fine,’ it’s not that simple.”

“But I worry that people will read this and if they are on the fence about making a decision about their treatment, it might sway them to make a certain decision, and that might mean they don’t come here anymore.

“This has life-and-death implications.”

Gandy shared her thoughts on Macpherson during her More FM radio show this week.

“As someone who has also been treated for breast cancer, when I saw that this morning, I felt so angry because it was so dangerous – she came and said what she said,” she told the audience.

Chemotherapy and radiotherapy

The Breast Cancer Foundation said it was concerned that Macpherson’s comments could mislead people with invasive breast cancer.

Adèle Gautier, Research Director at the Breast Cancer Foundation of New Zealand.
Photo: Provided / Breast Cancer Foundation New Zealand

“Whenever people think, ‘Oh, (this) celebrity has breast cancer, it’s terrible and she rejected all these treatments and she’s still alive, so can someone else do the same?’ That’s a disturbing way of looking at it for me,” said Adèle Gautier, head of research.

“Not everyone has access to 32 doctors to talk to about their treatment, which seems quite unusual.

“So most average people will find themselves in a situation where they’re talking to one or two doctors who know a lot about them and their cancer and can make an informed decision based on the standard of care.

“So you wouldn’t want anyone to feel like they can skip treatment because Elle Macpherson did it and everything worked out for her.”

The foundation’s website notes that “While DCIS itself is not life-threatening, if left untreated it can eventually develop into invasive cancer and spread into surrounding tissue. Not all cases behave this way, but at present it is not possible to accurately predict which cases will not develop into invasive cancer and can be safely left untreated.”

Conflicts of interest

Gandy told listeners on Wednesday that Macpherson’s statements about well-being and cancer seemed “odd”.

“To see someone like her, who has so much influence and money, and on top of that she runs a health company, profiting off of selling natural products, and say something like that, it just seems weird to me,” she said.

Macpherson’s company, WelleCo, sells dietary supplements that the company claims “perfectly nourish the human being on all levels.”

Dr. Brooke Nickel.
Photo: Delivered

Dr Brooke Nickel, a researcher at the University of Sydney, has studied how the media covers healthcare, including cancer. She said the public needs to be wary of prominent figures discussing wellness.

“The conflict of interest can be about, you know, profits, but also just their personal image or brand or anything else that is often tied to profit as well. But often it’s hidden under these empowering messages.

“These wellness products that are becoming increasingly popular thanks to celebrity endorsements and social media influencers don’t really have evidence of their benefits and could be harming people.”

The right to choose

Cancer Society medical director Dr Kate Gregory said it was difficult to comment without knowing the full facts surrounding Macpherson’s diagnosis.

“Every woman’s cancer is different. The Cancer Society strongly recommends that women make treatment decisions in collaboration with their cancer care team.

“Holistic treatments may be useful in treating cancer patients, but there is no evidence that they can replace conventional treatments.”

Gandy said she believes in people’s right to choose their own treatment and to advocate for themselves.

“I think the reason I wanted to come out and talk about my choices was because I did what I thought was right, but I did it by listening to the experts.

“If you know something is wrong and you go to the doctor and the doctor says, ‘everything is fine’ and there is something in you that says, ‘I don’t know if this is the case’, go back to that doctor and say, ‘I’m still not satisfied, what else can we do?’ or go to another doctor.”