Could diet modification make chemotherapy drugs more effective for
patients with pancreatic cancer?
Laboratory experiments, testing a ketogenic diet, lead to nationwide
clinical trial
Date:
March 22, 2022
Source:
The Translational Genomics Research Institute
Summary:
The findings of a new study suggest that a ketogenic diet -- which
is low in carbohydrates and protein, but high in fat -- helps
to kill pancreatic cancer cells when combined with a triple-drug
therapy. In laboratory experiments, the ketogenic diet decreased
glucose (sugar) levels in the tumor, suggesting the diet helped
starve the cancer. In addition, this diet elevated ketone bodies
produced by the liver, which put additional stress on the cancer
cells.
FULL STORY ==========================================================================
The findings of a new study suggest that a ketogenic diet -- which is low
in carbohydrates and protein, but high in fat -- helps to kill pancreatic cancer cells when combined with a triple-drug therapy developed by the Translational Genomics Research Institute (TGen), an affiliate of City
of Hope.
==========================================================================
In laboratory experiments, the ketogenic diet decreased glucose (sugar)
levels in the tumor, suggesting the diet helped starve the cancer. In
addition, this diet elevated ketone bodies produced by the liver, which
put additional stress on the cancer cells. The study published in the
journal Med.
By destabilizing the cancer cells, the ketogenic diet created a microenvironment in which the triple-drug therapy designed by TGen --
a combination of gemcitabine, nab-paclitaxel and cisplatin -- was more effective at knocking out the tumor, according to the study.
"By limiting glucose availability, the ketogenic diet may promote
chemotherapy efficacy," said TGen Distinguished Professor Daniel D. Von
Hoff, M.D., considered one of the nation's foremost authorities on
pancreatic cancer. Dr.
Von Hoff is one of the study authors and designers of the therapy.
In addition, the ketogenic diet was shown to have a favorable impact on antitumor immunity by inducing pro-inflammatory tumor gene expression,
which further weakened the cancer.
Clinical trials at five locations To test these laboratory findings, researchers initiated a clinical trial of up to 40 patients at five
centers nationwide: HonorHealth in Scottsdale, USC in Los Angeles,
Nuvance Health in Connecticut, Atlantic Health System in New Jersey,
and South Texas Accelerated Research Therapeutics in San Antonio.
The clinical trial will test whether adding a ketogenic diet to
the triple-drug therapy will increase overall survival in patients
with pancreatic cancer. This clinical trial began in late 2020 and is anticipated to continue to accrue patients through June 2023. Patients
will be randomly assigned to either receive the triple-drug regimen while
on a standard diet, while the other half will receive a ketogenic diet
and the triple-drug therapy. The dietary aspects of the study are being carefully monitored.
"Our laboratory experiments show that a ketogenic diet changes pancreatic cancer metabolism and its response to chemotherapy," said Haiyong Han,
Ph.D., a Professor in TGen's Molecular Medicine Division, and one of
the study authors and a designer of the study's experiments.
Also contributing to this study were: Princeton University, Salk Institute
for Biological Studies, Rutgers Cancer Institute and Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, the Chinese Academy of Sciences, and the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research.
The preclinical study was funded by: Stand Up to Cancer (SU2C), the
National Institutes of Health, Ludwig Cancer Research, the New Jersey Commission on Cancer Research, New Jersey Health Foundation, a Rutgers
Busch Biomedical Grant, the Lustgarten Foundation, the Don and Lorraine Freeberg Foundation, and the David C. Copley Foundation.
The clinical trial is being funded by the Purple Pansies and the John
E. Sabga Foundation.
========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by The_Translational_Genomics_Research_Institute. Original written by Steve Yozwiak. Note: Content may be edited for style and length.
========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Lifeng Yang, Tara TeSlaa, Serina Ng, Michel Nofal, Lin Wang,
Taijin Lan,
Xianfeng Zeng, Alexis Cowan, Matthew McBride, Wenyun Lu, Shawn
Davidson, Gaoyang Liang, Tae Gyu Oh, Michael Downes, Ronald
Evans, Daniel Von Hoff, Jessie Yanxiang Guo, Haiyong Han, Joshua
D. Rabinowitz. Ketogenic diet and chemotherapy combine to disrupt
pancreatic cancer metabolism and growth. Med, 2022; 3 (2): 119 DOI:
10.1016/j.medj.2021.12.008 ==========================================================================
Link to news story:
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2022/03/220322122830.htm
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