Evidence map›Paper›PMID 29699509›Full record

Trial reportBMC cancer2018

The effects of short-term fasting on quality of life and tolerance to chemotherapy in patients with breast and ovarian cancer: a randomized cross-over pilot study.

Stephan P Bauersfeld, Christian S Kessler, Manfred Wischnewsky, Annette Jaensch, Nico Steckhan, Rainer Stange, Barbara Kunz, Barbara Brückner, Jalid Sehouli, Andreas Michalsen

2 registry-linked trialsAbstract readRandomized Controlled Trial
PubMed Full text at PMC Publisher
In one paragraph

Trial report in BMC cancer, 2018. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 127 papers, 12 of them syntheses that pooled it.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
127citing papers in PubMed, 12 pooled it
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

NCT01954836 nacompletednot on this map

Short-Term Fasting During Chemotherapy in Patients With Gynecological Cancer- a Randomized Controlled Cross-over Trial

TypeinterventionalSponsorCharite University, Berlin, GermanyRan2013 to 2015Enrolled50ConditionsNeoplasia, Cancer, FastingArmsinitial fasting, Secondary fasting
NCT05921149 nanot yet recruitingnot on this mapstarted 2024, after this paper: background citation

A Randomized Controlled Study of a Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD) in Conjunction With Combination Carboplatin and Paclitaxel in the Treatment of Patients With Advanced or Recurrent Ovarian, Fallopian Tube and Primary Peritoneal Cancer

TypeinterventionalSponsorEndeavor HealthRan2024 to 2031Enrolled170ConditionsOvarian Cancer, Chemotherapeutic ToxicityArmsFasting Mimicking Diet (Xentigen by L'Nutra), Carboplatin, Paclitaxel, Standard diet
3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

127 citing papers in PubMed, 12 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.

  1. Pooled it
  2. Impact of intermittent fasting on patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy and/or targeted therapies: a systematic review of the literature.Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer · 2025
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  6. Fasting during cancer treatment: a systematic review.Quality of life research : an international journal of quality of life aspects of treatment, care and rehabilitation · 2023
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  11. Food Intake During Cancer Therapy: A Systematic Review.American journal of clinical oncology · 2020
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67 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

10 authors.

Stephan P BauersfeldInstitute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.
Christian S KesslerInstitute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.
Manfred WischnewskyDepartment of Mathematics and Computer Science, University of Bremen, PB 330440, Bremen, 28334, Germany.
Annette JaenschDepartment of Internal and Integrative Medicine, Immanuel Krankenhaus Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Nico SteckhanInstitute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.
Rainer StangeInstitute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany.
Barbara KunzDepartment of Internal and Integrative Medicine, Immanuel Krankenhaus Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Barbara BrücknerDepartment of Gynecology, Krankenhaus Waldfriede, Argentinische Allee 40, 14163, Berlin, Germany.
Jalid SehouliDepartment of Gynecology, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
Andreas MichalsenInstitute of Social Medicine, Epidemiology and Health Economics, Charité - Universitätsmedizin Berlin, corporate member of Freie Universität Berlin, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, and Berlin Institute of Health, Berlin, Germany. andreas.michalsen@charite.de.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundThis pilot trial aimed to study the feasibility and effects on quality of life (QOL) and well-being of short-term fasting (STF) during chemotherapy in patients with gynecological cancer.

methodsIn an individually-randomized cross-over trial patients with gynecological cancer, 4 to 6 planned chemotherapy cycles were included. Thirty-four patients were randomized to STF in the first half of chemotherapies followed by normocaloric diet (group A;n = 18) or vice versa (group B;n = 16). Fasting started 36 h before and ended 24 h after chemotherapy (60 h-fasting period). QOL was assessed by the FACIT-measurement system.

resultsThe chemotherapy-induced reduction of QOL was less than the Minimally Important Difference (MID; FACT-G = 5) with STF but greater than the MID for non-fasted periods. The mean chemotherapy-induced deterioration of total FACIT-F was 10.4 ± 5.3 for fasted and 27.0 ± 6.3 for non-fasted cycles in group A and 14.1 ± 5.6 for non-fasted and 11.0 ± 5.6 for fasted cycles in group B. There were no serious adverse effects.

conclusionSTF during chemotherapy is well tolerated and appears to improve QOL and fatigue during chemotherapy. Larger studies should prove the effect of STF as an adjunct to chemotherapy.

trial registrationThis trial was registered at clinicaltrials.gov: NCT01954836 .

Indexed as

FastingQuality of LifeAdultAgedAntineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy ProtocolsBody WeightBreast NeoplasmsCross-Over StudiesFemaleHumansMiddle AgedNeoplasm StagingOvarian NeoplasmsPilot ProjectsTreatment OutcomeBreast cancerChemotherapyFastingOvarian cancerPilot studyQuality of life

Identifiers

PMID29699509
PMCPMC5921787

What OpenQuestion holds

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LicenceCC BY
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Registered trials

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.