2018 Volume 33 Issue 5 Pages 1139-1146
Objective: We introduced modified medium-chain triglyceride (MCT) ketogenic food with added MCT oil as a diet with severe carbohydrate intake restriction for patients with colon cancer and examined its effectiveness.
Methods: We administered chemotherapy in combination with the modified MCT ketogenic diet at a ratio of 1.4:1 in 10 patients with stage IV recurrent colon cancer for 1 year. Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) classification, the presence of total blood ketone bodies, and Quality of Life (QOL) evaluations were compared against 14 patients in the chemotherapy-alone group.
Results: Patients in the chemotherapy-alone group revealed a response rate of 21% and disease control rate of 64% in 0 Complete Response (CR) cases, 3 Partial Response(PR) cases, 6 Stable Disease(SD) cases, and 5 Progressive Disease(PD) cases. Patients in the ketogenic diet combination group exhibited a response rate of 60%, disease control rate of 70% in 5 CR cases, 1 PR case, 1 SD case, and 3 PD cases. Chemotherapy with the 1-year ketogenic diet increased the CR rates by 50%.
Conclusion: Chemotherapy for 1 year in combination with a ketogenic diet revealed higher response rates and disease control rates than with chemotherapy alone. Therefore, the ketogenic diet may be a supportive therapy for stage IV colon cancer.
