A New Way to Treat Brain Cancer by Starving Tumor Cells
Clinical research framework proposal for ketogenic metabolic therapy in glioblastoma
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists propose using a special diet (ketogenic) combined with drugs to block the two main fuels brain cancer cells need to grow: sugar (glucose) and glutamine (an amino acid). By cutting off these fuels while giving the body alternative energy (ketones), the treatment may slow or stop tumor growth.
Surprising Findings
Survival hasn't meaningfully improved in nearly a century
Despite billions spent on cancer research, the median survival for GBM is only marginally better today (14-21 months) than it was in 1926 (8-14 months). This challenges assumptions about progress in oncology.
Practical Takeaways
If you or someone you know has GBM, ask about clinical trials testing metabolic approaches
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a healthcare professional. Terms
Scientists propose using a special diet (ketogenic) combined with drugs to block the two main fuels brain cancer cells need to grow: sugar (glucose) and glutamine (an amino acid). By cutting off these fuels while giving the body alternative energy (ketones), the treatment may slow or stop tumor growth.
Surprising Findings
Survival hasn't meaningfully improved in nearly a century
Despite billions spent on cancer research, the median survival for GBM is only marginally better today (14-21 months) than it was in 1926 (8-14 months). This challenges assumptions about progress in oncology.
Practical Takeaways
If you or someone you know has GBM, ask about clinical trials testing metabolic approaches
Publication
Journal
BMC Medicine
Year
2024
Authors
Tomás Duraj, Miriam Kalamian, Giulio Zuccoli, Joseph C. Maroon, Dominic P. D’Agostino, Adrienne C. Scheck, Angela Poff, Sebastian F. Winter, Jethro Hu, R. Klement, Alicia Hickson, Derek C. Lee, Isabella D. Cooper, B. Kofler, Kenneth A Schwartz, Matthew C. L. Phillips, C. Champ, B. Zupec-Kania, Jocelyn L. Tan-Shalaby, F. Serfaty, Egiroh Omene, Gabriel Arismendi-Morillo, Michael A Kiebish, Richard Z. Cheng, Ahmed M. El-Sakka, A. Pflueger, E. Mathews, Donese Worden, Hanping Shi, R. Cincione, J. Spinosa, A. Slocum, M. Iyikesici, A. Yanagisawa, G. Pilkington, Anthony Chaffee, Wafaa Abdel-Hadi, Amr K. Elsamman, Pavel Klein, Keisuke Hagihara, Zsófia Clemens, George W. Yu, Athanasios E. Evangeliou, J. Nathan, Kris A. Smith, David Fortin, J. Dietrich, P. Mukherjee, T. Seyfried
Related Content
Claims (2)
Scientists have registered about 450-500 studies testing ketogenic diets in people with conditions like Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, mental health disorders, and cancer - that's a whole lot of research happening right now!
Glioblastoma is the deadliest type of brain cancer in adults - even with the best treatments available like surgery, radiation, and chemo, most patients only live about 1-2 years, and almost no one survives for 10 years.