Table 2 Clinical studies and case reports on various dietary restriction regimes during cancer treatment

From: Dietary and pharmacological modification of the insulin/IGF-1 system: exploiting the full repertoire against cancer

First author

Nebeling 75

Safdie 152

Zuccoli 153

Chu-Shore 154

Schmidt 155

Fine 76

Schroeder 77

Champ 156

Rieger 157

Oshakbayev 158

Schwartz 159

Publication year

1995

2009

2010

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

2014

2014

2015

Number of patients

2

10

1

5

16

10

11

6

20

1

2

Age (years)

P1: 3. P2 (P2): 8.5

63 (44–78)

65

8.8 (2.6–47.3)

50.5 (30–65)

62 (52–73)

65 (50–86)

59.5 (34–62)

57 (30–72)

41

P1: 55. P2: 52

Tumor entity

P1: Stage IV anaplastic astrozytoma. P2: Stage III cerebellar astrozytoma

Various stage IIA–VI carcinomas of the breast (4), prostate (2), ovary (1), uterus (1), lung (1) and esophagus (1)

Glioblastoma multiforme

Tuberous sclerosis complex tumors, among others renal angiomyolipomas and subendymal giant cell tumors

Various stage IV carcinomas and metastases

Stage IV carcinomas of breast (n=2), colorectum (3), lung (2), ovary (1), esophagus (1) and fallopian tube (1)

Stage III and IV head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

Glioblastoma multiforme

Glioblastoma multiforme

Stage III–IV ovarian carcinoma (T3N2M1)

Glioblastoma multiforme

Diet type

KD

STS

CR-KD

KD

KD

KD

KD

KD (n=5), CR-KD (1)

KD

CR

CR-KD

Energy (kcal/d)

P2: 2 200

0

600

NA

NA

1236±161

NA

NA

NA

300–400

P1: ≈1900. P2: ≈1800

Diet duration

P1: 62 weeks. P2: 8 weeks

48–140 h before and 5–56 h after CT

8 months

40.2 (3–66) months

7 (0.4–12) weeks

27.5 (26–28) Tage

1–4 days

7.5 (3–12) months

6–8 weeks or until progress, respectively

6 months

 

Concurrent therapy

P1: None. P2: Partly CT

CT

Partly RCT

Sirolismus (1)

None

None

None

RCT (n=4), adjuvant CT (2)

None

Physical activity of at least 10 000 steps per day

None

Body weight at diet initiation (kg)

P1: 11. P2: 24

NA

58

NA

 

71.5 (46.3–103.4)

NA

77.8 (64.4–130.2)

78.3±16.1

74

P1: 85. P2: 79

Body weight change (kg)

NA

P1 and P2: −3.2 kg. P4: −2.7 kg

−8 (−14%)

NA

 

−3.0±0.5 (−4.1±0.7%, P=0.08)

NA

−5.7±7.5 (−8.7±7.8%, P=0.05)

−1.86 (−2.2%, P<0,05)

−21 (−28%)

P1: −5(−6%). P2: −5 (−6%)

Early termination due to diet-related side effects

0

0

0

1 (subjectively perceived cognitive impairment)

4 (fatigue, familial problems)

0

0

0

3 (impairment of quality of life)

0

 

Blood glucose (mg/dl) during diet (Change compared to baseline)

P1 and P2: 70–90

NA

63

NA

NA

NA (−3.2±3.7, NS)

NA

84±7.1 (↓, P=0.02)

92±9.1 (↓, NS)

49–95

P1: <80 (↓). P2: <100 (no change)

Ketone bodies (mmol/l) during diet

P1: 4.5–5; P2: 2–3

NA

  

NA

    

NA

P1+P2: 2–4

Validation of ketosis

Blood+urine

NA

Urine

Blood

Urine

Blood

NA

Urine+blood

Urine

NA

Blood

Diet-related side effects

None

P7: Grade I lightheadedness, drop in blood pressure

Mild hyperuricemia, mild hypoproteinemia

NA

  

None

Grade I constipation (n=2), grade I fatigue (4), grade II fatigue (1)

 

First 10–15 days: headache, nausea, ichorrhea from the genital tract, skin itching, muddy urine with occasional dysuria and fever up to 38.3 °C

P1: None. P2: Hypercholesterinemia, headache between week 6 and 8

Clinical result

P1: 21.77% less FDG uptake after 8 weeks, no change in tumor size on MRI scan, significant improvement in quality of life. Stability until 62 weeks follow-up. P2: 21.84% less FDG uptake after 8 weeks

General and substantial reduction in CT-related side effects compared with ad libitum diet. Low severity of CT-related side effects in four patients who fasted throughout all CT cycles. CT effects on tumor as expected.

After incomplete resection all MRI scans negative until end of diet; relapse 78 days after end of diet

Simultaneous occurrence of tumor growth, stagnation and new tumor formation in 3/3 children; stagnation in 2/2 adults; improvement of epileptic seizures in 3/5 patients

Only 5 of 16 patients able to adhere to diet until study end. These 5 had stable disease.

Significant correlation between stable disease or partial regression in FDG-PET and ketosis relative to baseline

Decrease of mean lactate concentration in tumors

Significantly lower blood glucose levels than in control group, even during glucocorticoid administration

No influence on course of disease

Stable disease

P1: Progress after 4 weeks. P2: Progress after 12 weeks.

  1. Abbreviations: CR, calorie restriction; CT, chemotherapy; KD, ketogenic diet; NA, not available; NS, non-significant; P1, Patient 1; P2, Patient 2; RCT, radio-chemotherapy; STS, short-term starvation.
  2. We tried to include all studies that gave an indication towards anticancer effects of the intervention.