Shark cartilage is said to suppress this process, so that tumors are deprived of their source of nourishment and often begin to shrink. Many patients with advanced stages of cancer of the breast, colon, prostate, and others, have sought shark cartilage as a means to avoid disease  progression. 

There are certain eye disorders, such as diabetic retinopathy and macular degeneration, that are characterized by the growth of new blood vessels within the eye; because they grow in inappropriate places, the presence of these blood vessels can lead to blindness. Such diseases also may respond well to shark cartilage. Other conditions for which shark cartilage is useful include arthritis , psoriasis and regional enteritis (inflammation of the lining of the bowels). In addition to angiogenesis-inhibiting  protein, shark cartilage contains calcium and phosphorus, which are absorbed as nutrients, and mucopolysaccharides (including chondroitin) that act to stimulate the immune system.