Evidence map›Paper›PMID 39212617›Full record

ArticleJournal of the National Cancer Institute2025

Plant-based diet and survival among patients with metastatic colorectal cancer.

En Cheng, Fang-Shu Ou, Clare Gatten, Chao Ma, Alan P Venook, Heinz-Josef Lenz, Eileen M O'Reilly, Peter T Campbell, Chaoyuan Kuang, Bette J Caan and 3 more

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Journal of the National Cancer Institute, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 10 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
10citing papers in PubMed
–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.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

10 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Article
  2. Article
  3. Article
  4. Article
  5. Food as medicine in gastrointestinal cancer therapy.Nature reviews. Gastroenterology & hepatology · 2025
    Article
  6. Review
  7. Observational
  8. Article
  9. Article
  10. Article
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

13 authors.

En ChengDepartment of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.ORCID 0000-0001-9523-9310
Fang-Shu OuAlliance Statistics and Data Management Center, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-1267-8735
Clare GattenAlliance Statistics and Data Management Center, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, USA.ORCID 0009-0001-5261-8000
Chao MaDepartment of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.
Alan P VenookHelen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA.
Heinz-Josef LenzUSC Norris Comprehensive Cancer Center, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA, USA.
Eileen M O'ReillyDepartment of Medicine, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, NY, USA.
Peter T CampbellDepartment of Epidemiology and Population Health, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5549-2036
Chaoyuan KuangDepartment of Oncology and Molecular Pharmacology, Albert Einstein College of Medicine, Bronx, NY, USA.
Bette J CaanDivision of Research, Kaiser Permanente Northern California, Oakland, CA, USA.ORCID 0000-0002-5803-310X
Charles D BlankeSouthwest Oncology Group Chair's Office and Knight Cancer Institute, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, OR, USA.
Kimmie NgDepartment of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.ORCID 0000-0003-0631-1494
Jeffrey A MeyerhardtDepartment of Medical Oncology, Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, Boston, MA, USA.

Funding

X-RAY CRYSTALLOGRAPHYP30CA008748 · NCI · SLOAN-KETTERING INSTITUTE FOR CANCER RES · PI SELWYN M VICKERS · 1985 to 2026
$347.4M
NRG Oncology Network Group Operations Center - GY9 BIQSFP Reports/BudgetsU10CA180868 · NCI · NRG ONCOLOGY FOUNDATION, INC. · PI NORMAN WOLMARK · 2014 to 2026
$206.8M
Member Site CoreU10CA180821 · NCI · BRIGHAM AND WOMEN'S HOSPITAL · PI Evanthia Galanis · 2014 to 2026
$177.3M
SWOG Network Group Operations Center of the NCTNU10CA180888 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · PI PRIMO N. LARA · 2014 to 2026
$152.1M
Statistics CoreU10CA180822 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF PITTSBURGH AT PITTSBURGH · PI James J. Dignam · 2014 to 2026
$146.4M
NRG Oncology NCORP Research Base-BIQSFPUG1CA189867 · NCI · NRG ONCOLOGY FOUNDATION, INC. · PI Deborah Watkins Bruner, Lisa A. Kachnic · 2014 to 2026
$140.5M
Statistics CoreU10CA180882 · NCI · MAYO CLINIC ROCHESTER · PI Sumithra Jay Mandrekar · 2014 to 2026
$115.0M
SWOG NCORP Research BaseUG1CA189974 · NCI · THE HOPE FOUNDATION · PI CHARLES D. BLANKE, DAWN HERSHMAN · 2014 to 2026
$80.6M
THE ALLIANCE NCTN BIOREPOSITORY AND BIOSPECIMEN RESOURCEU24CA196171 · NCI · WASHINGTON UNIVERSITY · PI Mine Cicek, Wendy Frankel · 2015 to 2026
$35.0M
Network Lead Academic Participating Site: Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer CenterUG1CA233290 · NCI · SLOAN-KETTERING INST CAN RESEARCH · PI CAROL AGHAJANIAN, Darren Feldman · 2019 to 2026
$10.2M
NCTN Lead Academic Participating Site at Dana-Farber/Partners Cancer CareUG1CA233180 · NCI · DANA-FARBER CANCER INST · PI Harold John Burstein · 2019 to 2026
$8.6M
NCTN - Network Lead Academic Participating Site: USCUG1CA180830 · NCI · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · PI Anthony Boutros El-Khoueiry, Amir Goldkorn · 2019 to 2026
$3.2M
Cancer Research UK 27140Eli Lilly and CompanyMontefiore Einstein Comprehensive Cancer Center and Albert Einstein College of MedicineNCI NIH HHS P30 CA008748NCI NIH HHS U10 CA180821NCI NIH HHS U10 CA180822NCI NIH HHS U10 CA180868NCI NIH HHS U10 CA180882NCI NIH HHS U10 CA180888NCI NIH HHS U24 CA196171NCI NIH HHS UG1 CA180830NCI NIH HHS UG1 CA189867NCI NIH HHS UG1 CA189974NCI NIH HHS UG1 CA233180NIH HHS U10CA180821
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

backgroundA plant-based diet is associated with better survival among patients with nonmetastatic colorectal cancer (CRC), but its association in metastatic CRC is unknown.

methodsUsing an National Cancer Institute-sponsored trial (CALGB/SWOG 80405), we included 1284 patients who completed validated food frequency questionnaires at the initiation of metastatic CRC treatment. We calculated 3 indices: overall plant-based diet index (PDI), which emphasized consumption of all plant foods while reducing animal food intake; healthful plant-based diet index (hPDI), which emphasized consumption of healthful plant foods such as whole grains, fruits, and vegetables; and unhealthful plant-based diet index (uPDI), which emphasized consumption of less healthful plant foods such as fruit juices, refined grains, and sugar-sweetened beverages. We estimated the associations of 3 indices (quintiles) with overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) using multivariable Cox proportional hazards regression.

resultsWe observed 1100 deaths and 1204 progression events (median follow-up = 6.1 years). Compared with the lowest quintile, patients in the highest quintile of PDI had significantly better survival (hazard ratio [HR] for OS = 0.76 [0.62-0.94], Ptrend = .004; PFS = 0.81 [0.66-0.99], Ptrend = .09). Similar findings were observed for hPDI (HR for OS = 0.81 [0.65-1.01], Ptrend = .053; PFS = 0.80 [0.65-0.98], Ptrend = .04), whereas uPDI was not associated with worse survival (HR for OS = 1.16 [0.94-1.43], Ptrend = .21; PFS = 1.12 [0.92-1.36], Ptrend = .42).

conclusionsOur study suggests that a plant-based diet, especially when rich in healthful plant foods, is associated with better survival among patients with metastatic CRC. The cause of survival benefits warrants further investigation.

Indexed as

Colorectal NeoplasmsDiet, VegetarianAgedDiet, Plant-BasedFemaleFruitHumansMaleMiddle AgedNeoplasm MetastasisVegetables

Identifiers

PMID39212617
PMCPMC11717424

What OpenQuestion holds

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Registered trials

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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.