scholarly journals The use of ketogenic diets in cancer patients: a systematic review

Author(s):  
Maximilian Römer ◽  
Jennifer Dörfler ◽  
Jutta Huebner

AbstractKetogenic diets are a widely known, yet controversial treatment for cancer patients. In this review, we summarize the clinical evidence for anti-tumor effects, as well as the effects on anthropometry, quality of life, adverse events and adherence in cancer patients. In April 2019, a systematic search was conducted searching five electronic databases (EMBASE, Cochrane, PsychInfo, CINAHL and Medline) to find studies analyzing the use, effectiveness and potential harm of a ketogenic diet in cancer patients of any age as sole or complementary therapy. From all 19.211 search results, 46 publications concerning 39 studies with 770 patients were included in this systematic review. The therapy concepts included all forms of diets with reduced carbohydrate intake, that aimed to achieve ketosis for patients with different types of cancer. Most studies had a low quality, high risk of bias and were highly heterogeneous. There was no conclusive evidence for anti-tumor effects or improved OS. The majority of patients had significant weight loss and mild to moderate side effects. Adherence to the diet was rather low in most studies. Due to the very heterogeneous results and methodological limitations of the included studies, clinical evidence for the effectiveness of ketogenic diets in cancer patients is still lacking.

2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (8) ◽  
pp. 1997-2010
Author(s):  
Sharon Odeo ◽  
Amsalu Degu

Introduction Prostate cancer is recognized as the leading cause of malignancy-related incidence and mortality in the male population. The treatment regimens have long-term effects detrimental to the patient's quality of life. Hence, this review was aimed to determine the overall HRQOL and its associated among prostate cancer patients. Methods The review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. The databases searched were PubMed, Embase, Google Scholar and Cumulative Index to the Nursing and Allied Literature (CINAHL), which provided articles that were critically examined, yielding 52 studies that met the inclusion criteria for the systematic review. Results Out of 52 studies, 30 studies reported poor overall HRQOL in various domains after prostate cancer treatment. Contrastingly, 15 studies reported good overall quality of life after treatment. Among the various domains, sexual function was the most grossly affected functional score by the treatment modalities of prostate cancer. Nonetheless, seven studies showed that the absence of a significant change in the overall quality of life after treatment. According to the studies, older age, comorbidities, higher clinical stage, higher Gleason score, greater cancer severity, African American race, impaired mental health, neoadjuvant hormonal therapy and lower level of education were the major poor predictors of HRQOL among prostate cancer patients. Conclusion The overall HRQOL in prostate cancer patients was generally poor in various functional domains after treatment. Among the various domains, sexual function was the most grossly affected functional score by the treatment modalities of prostate cancer.


BMJ Open ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (3) ◽  
pp. e034612
Author(s):  
Athul John ◽  
Michael O'Callaghan ◽  
Rick Catterwell ◽  
Luke A Selth

IntroductionPositive surgical margins (PSM) in cancer patients are commonly associated with worse prognosis and a higher risk of secondary treatment. However, the relevance of this parameter in prostate cancer patients undergoing radical prostatectomy (RP) remains controversial, given the inconsistencies in its ability to predict biochemical recurrence (BCR) and oncological outcomes. Hence, further assessment of the utility of surgical margins for prostate cancer prognosis is required to predict these outcomes more accurately. Over the last decade, studies have used the Gleason score (GS) of positive margins to predict outcomes. Herein, the authors aim to conduct a systematic review investigating the role of GS of PSM after radical prostatectomy in predicting BCR and oncological outcomes.Methods and analysisWe will perform a search using MEDLINE, EMBASE, SCOPUS and COCHRANE databases. The review will be reported according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses guidelines. We will screen titles and abstracts to select articles appropriate for full-text review. Studies discussing GS of PSM after RP will be included. Given the change in reporting of GS, only articles from 2005 to 2019 will be included. The quality of the studies chosen will be assessed using the Newcastle Ottawa tool for non-randomised and Cochrane risk of bias for randomised control studies. We will adopt the grading of recommendations, assessment, development and evaluation framework to comment on quality of cumulative evidence. The primary outcome measure will be time to BCR. Secondary outcome measures include secondary treatment, disease-specific survival, disease progression-free and overall mortality at follow-up period. We aim to perform a meta-analysis if the level of heterogeneity is acceptable (I2<50%).Ethics and disseminationThe review does not require ethics approval as it is a review of published literature. The findings of the review will be submitted for peer-reviewed publications and presented at scientific meetings.PROSPERO registration numberCRD42019131800.


2019 ◽  
Vol 175 (2) ◽  
pp. 267-276 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dustin H. Marks ◽  
Jean-Phillip Okhovat ◽  
Dina Hagigeorges ◽  
Athena J. Manatis-Lornell ◽  
Steven J. Isakoff ◽  
...  

2020 ◽  
Vol 29 (2) ◽  
pp. 102-118 ◽  
Author(s):  
Joachim Dissemond ◽  
Matthias Augustin ◽  
Michael Dietlein ◽  
Uta Faust ◽  
Winfried Keuthage ◽  
...  

Objective: Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) substantially contribute to the development of chronicity in wounds. Thus, MMP-inhibiting dressings may support healing. A systematic review was performed to determine the existing evidence base for the treatment of hard-to-heal wounds with these dressings. Methods: A systematic literature search in databases and clinical trial registers was conducted to identify randomised controlled trials (RCTs) investigating the efficacy of MMP-inhibiting dressings. Studies were analysed regarding their quality and clinical evidence. Results: Of 721 hits, 16 relevant studies were assessed. There were 13 studies performed with collagen and three with technology lipido-colloid nano oligosaccharide factor (TLC-NOSF) dressings. Indications included diabetic foot ulcers, venous leg ulcers, pressure ulcers or wounds of mixed origin. Patient-relevant endpoints comprised wound size reduction, complete wound closure, healing time and rate. Considerable differences in the quality and subsequent clinical evidence exist between the studies identified. Substantial evidence for significant improvement in healing was identified only for some dressings. Conclusion: Evidence for the superiority of some MMP-inhibiting wound dressings exists regarding wound closure, wound size reduction, healing time and healing rate. More research is required to substantiate the existing evidence for different types of hard-to-heal wounds and to generate evidence for some of the different types of MMP-inhibiting wound dressings.


2016 ◽  
Vol 32 (3) ◽  
pp. 97-106 ◽  
Author(s):  
Saku Torvinen ◽  
Susanne Bergius ◽  
Risto Roine ◽  
Leena Lodenius ◽  
Harri Sintonen ◽  
...  

Objectives: The objectives of this study were to identify and qualitatively describe, in a systematic literature review, published studies that collected prostate cancer patients’ health-related quality of life (HRQoL) estimates by using validated, generic instruments.Methods: Systematic searches of the literature were made using the Medline, Cochrane Library, PsycINFO, and CINAHL electronic databases from 2002 to 2015.Results: The search identified 2,171 references, of which 237 were obtained for full-text assessment; thirty-three of these articles were deemed relevant and included in the systematic review. An indirect valuation method was used in 73 percent (n = 24) of the studies. The most commonly used HRQoL instrument with an indirect valuation method was the EuroQol (EQ-5D; n = 21), and the second most common was the 15D (n = 5). A direct valuation method was used in 48 percent (n = 16) of the studies. Of these, the Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) was the most often used (n = 10), followed by the Time-Trade-Off (n = 6). HRQoL scores varied in localized and early stage disease between 0.63 and 0.91, and in advanced or metastatic disease stage between 0.50 and 0.87. There was also variance in the HRQoL instruments and study methods used, which explains the large variance in HRQoL scores between the various disease stages.Conclusions: Although utility and quality-adjusted life-years gained are considered important measures of effectiveness in health care, the number of studies in which utilities of prostate cancer patients have been estimated using generic HRQoL instruments, based on either direct or indirect measurement of HRQoL, is fairly small.


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