SynthesisSupportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer2025
Impact of intermittent fasting on patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy and/or targeted therapies: a systematic review of the literature.
Synthesis in Supportive care in cancer : official journal of the Multinational Association of Supportive Care in Cancer, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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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.
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.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Temporal Proteomic Profiling Reveals Tissue-Specific and Coordinated Metabolic Reprogramming in Skeletal Muscle and Liver during Prolonged Fasting.Proteomics · 2026Article
- Intersection of Precision Nutrition and Bladder Cancer: A Narrative State-of-the-Art Review of Potential Applications and Challenges.Journal of clinical medicine · 2026Review
- The Use of Nutritional Interventions to Enhance Genomic Stability in Mice and Delay Aging.Nutrients · 2026Review
- A nutrient-responsive cancer-on-chip model for assessing chemotherapy responses under glucose restriction.Frontiers in bioengineering and biotechnology · 2026Article
Corrections and comments
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Authors and funding
5 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
purposeIntermittent fasting holds potential for improving cancer patient outcomes by promoting cancer cell death. Additionally, it depletes hepatic glycogen reserves, facilitating the release of fatty acids and ketones, which may enhance cancer cells sensitivity to chemotherapy and impede their proliferation. However, clinical data on fasting among cancer patients remain scarce. This systematic review intends to provide an overview of the impact of intermittent fasting on the safety, feasibility, tolerability, and metabolic effects of chemotherapy and targeted therapies in cancer patients.
methodsArticles were retrieved from 1990 to March 2025, employing a defined search equation. Established endpoints included cancer development, treatment efficacy, side effects related to chemotherapy and targeted therapies, quality of life, and fasting tolerance. Risk of bias was assessed, utilizing a validated assessment tool.
resultsAmong 1,725 articles, nine met our inclusion criteria. Risk of bias was low to moderate. These studies included patients predominantly with breast cancer (n = 258/354). Even though the safety and feasibility of intermittent fasting were confirmed, no impact on treatment outcomes and chemotherapy-related toxicities was demonstrated. However, a consistent trend emerged in reduced insulin and IGF-1 levels, along with increased erythrocyte levels among fasting patients. Three studies reported no significant difference in body weight and BMI.
conclusionCurrent evidence indicates that intermittent fasting is both safe and feasible. However, due to the lack of robust evidence, a definitive conclusion regarding the impact of intermittent fasting on treatment effectiveness and side effects related to chemotherapy and targeted therapies in cancer patients cannot be drawn. Larger randomized controlled trials are warranted to validate intermittent fasting as an adjunctive therapeutic approach.
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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.