Could a Fasting-Mimicking diet boost breast cancer treatment?
NCT ID NCT07378306
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This phase 2 trial is testing whether a fasting-mimicking diet (a low-calorie, plant-based diet) can improve the effectiveness of standard chemoimmunotherapy for early or locally advanced triple-negative breast cancer. About 80 women aged 18 to 70 will follow the diet for five days every three weeks alongside their treatment. The main goal is to see if more patients have no cancer left after surgery.
What this could mean
Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.
- Active substance
- fasting-mimicking diet (a low-calorie, plant-based diet)
- What this could lead to
- If it works, this could point toward a way to boost the effectiveness of standard cancer treatment for triple-negative breast cancer.
- What could go wrong
- This is a small, early-phase trial with only 80 people, so results may not apply to everyone. The diet is strict and may cause side effects like fatigue or nutrient deficiencies.
This is an AI summary of the original study and may miss details. Read our disclaimer.
Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
-
Phase 2
Tests whether the treatment actually works, and watches for side effects, in a larger group.
- Participants
-
About 80 people
The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.
- Started
-
Mar 2026
- Expected to finish
-
Dec 2029
An estimate. End dates often move.
- Lead sponsor
-
Other sponsor
The registry's catch-all category, for sponsors it does not file as a company, a government agency, or a research network.
Who can take part
This study's own entry requirements. Only the study team can say for certain whether you qualify.
- Ages
-
18 to 70 years
- Sex
-
Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
-
Not accepted
This study is not open to healthy volunteers. The entry requirements below say who it is open to.
Show the full entry requirements Hide the full entry requirements
Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.
Inclusion Criteria: * Written informed consent obtained from the patient or their legal representative. * Good patient compliance, willing and able to adhere to the prescribed dietary intervention plan, visits, treatment schedule, laboratory tests, and other study procedures. * Female, aged 18 to 70 years. * ECOG performance status score of 0 to 1, with an expected survival of \>12 weeks. * Female patients of childbearing potential must agree to use reliable methods of contraception from before trial entry, throughout the study, and for 8 weeks after the completion of the study. * Patients with pathologically confirmed primary breast cancer, with a primary tumor ≥2 cm and regional lymph node status N0-N3 (AJCC Version 8); patients with positive lymph nodes may have a primary tumor of any size; no distant metastases (M0). * Triple-negative or near-triple-negative subtype, defined as HR-negative or low expression (ER and/or PR positivity rate 1%-10%) and HER2-negative (IHC 0, 1+, or 2+ with FISH-negative). * No prior history of any anti-tumor therapy, including chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and biological therapy. * Hemoglobin ≥90 g/L (can be maintained or exceed this level via transfusion). * Absolute neutrophil count ≥1.5 × 10E9/L. * Platelet count ≥100 × 10E9/L. * Total bilirubin ≤1.5 × upper limit of normal (ULN). * Alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) ≤2.5 × ULN. * Creatinine ≤1.5 × ULN. * Fasting blood glucose \<250 mg/dL (13.89 mmol/L). * Pregnancy must be ruled out for women of childbearing potential (aged 15-49). Exclusion Criteria: * Previous administration of any systemic anti-cancer therapy, including cytotoxic chemotherapy, targeted therapy, immunotherapy, or investigational treatment. * Prior radiotherapy for breast cancer. * Documented evidence (pathological or radiological) of distant metastasis prior to treatment initiation. * History of another malignancy within the five years preceding treatment initiation in this study, except for carcinoma in situ of the cervix, cured basal cell carcinoma, or urothelial tumors of the bladder (including Ta and Tis). * Known allergy or hypersensitivity to any component of the investigational drugs or products. * Active autoimmune disease requiring systemic treatment (e.g., systemic lupus erythematosus, psoriasis, etc.). * Body Mass Index (BMI) \< 19 kg/m². * Unintentional weight loss ≥5% within the past 3 months, unless the patient's BMI \>22 kg/m² and weight loss at study entry is \<10%; or unintentional weight loss ≥10% within the past 3 months, unless the patient's BMI \>25 kg/m² and weight loss at study entry is \<15%. In either case, weight must have been stable for at least one month prior to enrollment. * Eating disorders, including anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, etc. * Baseline fasting blood glucose ≤60 mg/dL (3.33 mmol/L). * Severe infection within 4 weeks prior to enrollment, including but not limited to hospitalization for infectious complications, bacteremia, or severe pneumonia. * Type 1 or Type 2 diabetes mellitus requiring medication (including but not limited to insulin or insulin secretagogues), with the exception of metformin. * Any unstable systemic disease, including: uncontrolled hypertension, unstable angina, angina pectoris with onset within the last 3 months, congestive heart failure, myocardial infarction (within 6 months prior to enrollment). * Severe arrhythmia requiring medication, or significant hepatic, renal, or metabolic disease. * Known infection with Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV). * Active, uncontrolled hepatitis B or hepatitis C. * Pregnant or lactating women. * History of diagnosed neurological or psychiatric disorders, including epilepsy or dementia. * Any other condition deemed by the investigator as unsuitable for participation.
Get updates
Get notified about this study
Sign up to get updates when this study changes or when new studies for Breast cancer are added.
By submitting, you agree to our Terms of use
Conditions
The condition(s) this trial relates to.
As listed by the trial registrant
The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.
How to take part
Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.
-
The places running it
1 site. The list below names each one and where it is.
-
The official record
ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.
-
A doctor treating you
A doctor who knows your case can contact a study site on your behalf, and can tell you whether this study is worth pursuing at all.
Contacts and locations
Locations
-
Sun Yat-sen University Cancer Center
RECRUITINGGuangzhou, Guangdong, 510060, China
More trials for these conditions
Other studies related to the condition(s) this trial covers.
- Retrospective analysis of pyrotinib in the treatment of HER2-Positive advanced breast cancer previously treated with trastuzumab and pertuzumab
- Mind and body: does resilience leave a molecular mark in breast cancer?
- Which pain block works better for breast surgery?
- Can a Triple-Drug combo erase HER2-Positive breast tumors before surgery?
- Bacteria inside tumors may hold the key to breast cancer treatment
- Can a newer drug ease the bone pain of chemotherapy support?