Abstract

FASTING: A MODIFIED APPROACH FOR CANCER TREATMENT

Sonal More*

ABSTRACT

Short term fasting (STF) during chemotherapy is feasible and has beneficial effects on QOL, well-being and fatigue. Larger randomized trials with confirmatory study design are warranted for further evaluation. Cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy treatment are advised to increase food intake to overcome the therapy induced side effects and weight loss. Dietary restriction is mainly to slow down the aging process and hence reduce age-related diseases such as cancer. More effective than dietary restriction is fasting or short term starvation, to prevent cancer growth since starved cells switch off signals for growth and reproduction and enter a protective mode. While cancer cells, being mutated are not sensitized by any external growth signals are not protected against any stress, so this phenomenon is known as differential stress resistance (DSR). Nutrient signalling pathways involving growth hormone, Insulin-like growth factor-1 axis and its downstream effectors play a key role in DSR in response to starvation controlling the other cell maintenance systems, such as autophagy and apoptosis that are related to tumorigenesis.

Keywords: Cancer, Short term fasting (STF), chemotherapy, differential stress resistance (DSR).