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Fasting before chemo: could a Plant-Based diet boost cancer treatment?

NCT ID NCT05359848

Symptom relief Sponsor: State University of New York at Buffalo Source: ClinicalTrials.gov ↗

What the study statuses mean

This study's is highlighted.

Recruitment status, easiest to join first

Recruiting now This study
This trial is taking on new participants right now.
Not yet recruiting
Registered, but not yet taking participants.
By invitation only
Not open to general applications. Only people the study team invites can take part.
Paused
Paused for now. It may or may not start again.
Ongoing
Running, but no longer taking on new participants.
Completed
The trial has finished. Results may not be published yet.
Stopped early
Stopped early, before it reached the end. That can be for many reasons, including safety.
Cancelled
Cancelled before anyone took part.

Expanded access (not trials)

Expanded access
Not a trial. This treatment can be requested outside a study, case by case, for people who qualify.
Expanded access (paused)
Not a trial. The treatment can normally be requested outside a study, but is unavailable right now.
Expanded access (ended)
Not a trial. The treatment could once be requested outside a study, but no longer can.
Approved
The treatment has been approved, so it is available normally rather than through this programme.

When the status isn't known

Details not published
The full record has not been published yet, so there is little to show here.
Status unknown
This status has not been confirmed recently, so it may be out of date.

First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026

Summary

This pilot study is testing whether intermittent fasting (calorie restriction on alternate days) combined with a plant-based protein diet can help cancer patients respond better to chemotherapy. The study will enroll 30 adults with various cancers who are scheduled for chemotherapy. The main goal is to see if this diet plan is practical and tolerable for patients, while also gathering early data on whether it might improve tumor shrinkage.

What this could mean

Our plain-language read of the trial. This is informational only, not medical advice or a prediction.

Active substance
intermittent caloric restriction plus plant-based protein diet
What this could lead to
If this approach works, it could point toward a way to make chemotherapy more effective by using diet to enhance the body's response to treatment.
What could go wrong
This is a very small, early pilot study with only 30 participants, so results may not apply to everyone. The diet may be hard to follow, and it's not yet known if it actually improves outcomes.

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

Not a phased trial

Phase numbers describe drug development. The registry uses this when they do not apply, as it does for trials of devices, procedures or behaviour changes, and for observational studies.

Participants

About 30 people

The number the study aims to enrol. It can still change while the study runs.

Started

Apr 2022

Expected to finish

Jun 2027

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 years and older

Sex

Anyone

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

Copied word for word from the study's registry entry, so the wording is the study team's rather than ours.

Inclusion Criteria: * • Histologically documented, cancer patients who are eligible to receive cytotoxic chemotherapy. * Life expectancy of at least 6 months * Adults ≥ 18 years of age * Adequate hematologic, renal, and liver function as evidenced by the following: * White blood cell (WBC) ≥ 2,500 cells/μL * Absolute neutrophil count (ANC) ≥ 1,000 cells/μL * Platelet Count ≥ 100,000 cells/μL * Hemoglobin (HgB) ≥ 9.0 g/dL * Creatinine ≤ 2.0 mg/dL * Total bilirubin ≤ 2 x upper limit of normal (ULN) * Aspartate aminotransaminase (AST, SGOT) ≤ 2.5 x ULN * Alanine aminotransaminase (ALT, SGPT) ≤ 2.5 x ULN Exclusion Criteria: * • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 2 or higher * Treatment with any of the following medications or interventions within 28 days of registration: * Systemic corticosteroids; however, use of inhaled, intranasal, and topical steroids is acceptable. * High dose calcitriol \[1,25(OH)2VitD\] (i.e., \> 7.0 μg/week) * Any infection requiring parenteral antibiotic therapy or causing fever (temperature \> 100.5°F or 38.1°C) within 1 week prior to registration * A known allergy, intolerance, or medical contraindication to receiving the contrast dye required for the protocol-specified CT/MRI imaging * Any medical intervention or other condition which, in the opinion of the Principal Investigator, could compromise adherence with study requirements or otherwise compromise the study's objectives

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Conditions

The condition(s) this trial relates to.

cancer

As listed by the trial registrant

The condition terms exactly as the trial's registrant entered them.

Integrative oncology Medical nutrition therapy Medical oncology

How to take part

Only the study team decides who joins. These are the ways to reach them.

  1. The places running it

    2 sites. The list below names each one and where it is.

  2. The official record

    ClinicalTrials.gov lists the study team's own contact details, including names and phone numbers. We don't republish those.

    Open the record ↗

  3. 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

  • University at Buffalo / Great Lakes Cancer Care

    RECRUITING

    Buffalo, New York, 14203, United States

  • University at Buffalo / Great Lakes Cancer Care

    RECRUITING

    Buffalo, New York, 14206, United States

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