Keto diet plus breast cancer drug shows promise in small study
NCT ID NCT03962647
First seen Jun 27, 2026 · Last updated Jun 27, 2026
Summary
This early-phase study tested whether a 2-week very low-carbohydrate (ketogenic) diet combined with the drug letrozole is feasible and tolerable for people with early-stage estrogen receptor-positive (ER+) breast cancer. 31 postmenopausal women participated before surgery. The goal was to see if the diet could be followed and if it affected cancer cell growth and insulin signaling.
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Study facts
What this study's own registry entry says, in plain language.
- Phase
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Early phase 1
The earliest testing in people: a first look at safety, in a very small group.
- Participants
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31 people
The number who actually took part.
- Started
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Jul 2019
- Finished
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Jul 2024
- Lead sponsor
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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
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18 years and older
- Sex
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Female participants only
- Healthy volunteers
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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: * All participants must provide written informed consent. * Patients must have histologically confirmed primary invasive mammary carcinoma * The tumor must be estrogen receptor positive * The tumor must be HER2 negative (negative IHC or FISH) * The primary tumor size must be at least 2 mm in size. * Patients must be post-menopausal defined by any of the following: * Subjects at least 55 years of age. * Subjects younger than 55 years of age and amenorrheic for at least 12 months or serum follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH) levels and estradiol levels in the post-menopausal range by local lab criteria * Subjects with history of bilateral oophorectomy or prior radiation castration with amenorrhea for at least 6 months. * Patients must have clinical stage I, II, or III invasive mammary carcinoma planning to undergo surgical treatment with either segmental resection or total mastectomy. * Patients must have BMI \>= 30. * A core biopsy from the time of diagnosis must be available. * Mammogram or ultrasound required prior to screening * Patients must have adequate organ function based on the following laboratory parameters: * Serum creatinine \<= 1.5x ULN * SGOT, SGPT \<= 4x ULN (unless known steatohepatitis) * Serum albumin \>= 2.0 g/dL * Total serum bilirubin \<= 1.5x ULN (or \<= 3x ULN if known Gilbert's syndrome) Exclusion Criteria: Patients with locally advanced disease who are candidates for other preoperative (chemo)therapy at the time of initial evaluation. This includes patients with inflammatory breast cancer. * Evidence of distant metastatic disease (stage IV). * Serious medical illness that in the judgment of the treating physician places the patient at high risk of operative mortality. * Serious medical illness that in the judgment of the treating physician would preclude the use of a ketogenic diet. * Severe uncontrolled malabsorption condition or disease (e.g. grade II/III diarrhea, severe malnutrition, short gut syndrome). * Diabetes mellitus requiring insulin therapy. * Dementia, altered mental status, or any psychiatric condition that would prohibit the understanding or rendering of informed consent. * Participation in any other neoadjuvant therapeutic clinical trial. * Concurrent anti-cancer therapy other than endocrine therapy (e.g. chemotherapy, radiotherapy, immunotherapy, or any other biologic therapy). * Concurrent treatment with an investigational agent. * Use of an investigational drug within 30 days or 5 half-lives, whichever is longer, preceding the first day of dietary intervention.
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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.
Contacts and locations
Locations
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Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center
Nashville, Tennessee, 37232, United States
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