Keto diet treatment can starve cancer cells, study claims

Sign up for our free Health Check email to receive exclusive analysis on the week in health Get our free Health Check email Get our free Health Check email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our privacy policy Pancreatic cancer cells can “starve” thanks to a combination of a cancer drug and a keto diet, an early study has suggested. open image in gallery Researchers said that their new study points to a ‘vulnerability’ which could potentially lead to a new treatment for pancreatic cancer The team, from UC San Francisco in the US, discovered that a new cancer drug called eFT508, which is currently in clinical trials, blocked this protein, preventing the body from metabolising fat. Professor Davide Ruggero, senior author of the paper, said: “Our findings led us straight to the biology of one of the deadliest cancers, pancreatic cancer.” Knowing that pancreatic cancer can thrive on fat, and that the eIF4E protein is more active during fat burning, the scientists first placed the animals on a ketogenic diet, forcing the tumours to consume fats alone, and then put them on the cancer drug. “This is the foundation for a new way to treat cancer with diet and personalised therapies.” Dr Chris Macdonald, head of research at Pancreatic Cancer UK, said: “Pancreatic cancer is the deadliest common cancer.