A new study led by researchers at UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center offers new evidence that dietary changes can help reduce the growth of cancer cells in patients undergoing active surveillance, a treatment approach that involves regular monitoring of the cancer. without immediate intervention.
The findings, published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology, show that a diet low in omega-6 fatty acids and high in omega-3 fatty acids, combined with fish oil supplements, significantly reduced the growth rate of cancer cells prostate cancer in men with early-stage prostate cancer. disease.
“This is an important step toward understanding how diet can potentially influence prostate cancer outcomes,” said Dr. William Aronson, professor of urology at the David Geffen School of Medicine at UCLA and first author of the study. “Many men are interested in lifestyle changes, including diet, to help control cancer and prevent disease progression. Our findings suggest that something as simple as adjusting diet could potentially slow cancer growth.” cancer and extend the time before more aggressive interventions are necessary.”
Many men with low-risk prostate cancer choose active surveillance over immediate treatment; However, within five years, about 50% of these men will eventually need to undergo therapy with surgery or radiation. Because of this, patients are eager to find ways to delay the need for treatment, including through dietary changes or supplements. However, specific dietary guidelines in this area have not yet been established. While other clinical trials have looked at increasing vegetable intake and healthy dietary patterns, none have found a significant impact on slowing cancer progression.
To determine whether diet or supplements can play a role in treating prostate cancer, the UCLA-led team conducted a prospective clinical trial, called CAPFISH-3, that included 100 men with at-risk prostate cancer. low or intermediate favorable who chose active surveillance. Participants were randomly assigned to continue their normal diet or follow a low-omega-6, high-omega-3 diet, supplemented with fish oil, for one year.
Participants in the intervention group received personalized dietary counseling from a registered dietitian nutritionist, either in person, via telehealth, or by telephone. Patients were guided about healthier, lower-fat alternatives to high-fat, high-calorie foods (such as using olive oil or lemon and vinegar as a salad dressing) and about reducing consumption of foods higher in omega content. -6 (such as chips, cookies, mayonnaise and other fried or processed foods). The goal was to create a favorable balance in the intake of omega-6 and omega-3 fats and to make participants feel empowered to control how they change their behavior. They were also given fish oil capsules for additional omega-3s. The control group did not receive any dietary advice or take fish oil capsules.
The researchers tracked changes in a biomarker called the Ki-67 index, which indicates how quickly cancer cells multiply, a key predictor of cancer progression, metastasis and survival.
Biopsies were obtained from the same site at the start of the study and again after one year, using an image fusion device that helps track and localize cancer sites.
The results showed that the low-omega-6, high-omega-3, and fish oil diet group had a 15% decrease in the Ki-67 index, while the control group experienced a 24% increase.
“This significant difference suggests that dietary changes may help slow the growth of cancer, potentially delaying or even preventing the need for more aggressive treatments,” said Aronson, who is also chief of urologic oncology at the United States Medical Center. West Los Angeles veteran and member of UCLA Health Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center.
While the results are promising, the researchers found no differences in other cancer growth markers, such as Gleason grade, that are commonly used to track prostate cancer progression.
The researchers caution that more research is needed to confirm the long-term benefits of omega-3 fatty acids and omega-6 reduction in the treatment of prostate cancer. The findings support larger trials to explore the long-term impact of dietary changes on cancer progression, treatment outcomes, and survival rates in men under active surveillance.
The lead author of the study is Dr. Susanne Henning, associate professor emeritus and former director of the nutritional biomarkers laboratory at the UCLA Center for Human Nutrition. Other co-authors from UCLA are Tristan Grogan, Dr. Pei Liang, Patricia Jardack, Amana Liddell, Claudia Perez, Dr. David Elashoff, Dr. Jonathan Said and Dr. Leonard Marks.
The study was funded in part by the National Cancer Institute, UCLA Jonsson Health Comprehensive Cancer Center, Howard B. Klein, and the Seafood Industry Research Fund.