48-Hour Water Fasting During Chemotherapy for Gynecologic Cancer
In this small randomized controlled trial (N= 20), women with gynecologic cancer (11 with ovarian, 8 with uterine, and 1 with cervical cancer) receiving at least 6 cycles of chemotherapy were randomized to either a fasting or non-fasting group. The fasting group maintained a water-only fast for 24 hours before through 24 hours after each chemotherapy cycle. Most participants (90%) were receiving platinum-taxane doublet, and most (80%) had stage 3 or 4 disease.
Analysis included data from 120 cycles of chemo. Hospitalization rates and weight loss were no different between the two groups. Mean QOL scores were not significantly different between the two groups. There were fewer dose reductions and treatment delays among women in the fasting group (8.3% among fasters compared to 13.3% in the control group).
Additionally, mean serum glucose (at cycle day 1) was significantly lower among fasters, and mean platelet counts remained significantly higher (p<0.0001 and p=0.009).
It was concluded that fasting was well tolerated, did not increase weight loss or hospitalizations, and resulted in fewer treatment modifications.
Citation:
Riedinger CJ, Kimball KJ, Kilgore LC, Bell CW, Heidel RE, Boone JD. Water only fasting and its effect on chemotherapy administration in gynecologic malignancies. Gynecol Oncol. 2020;159(3):799-803. doi:10.1016/j.ygyno.2020.09.008
Link:
https://www.gynecologiconcology-online.net/article/S0090-8258(20)33901-9/fulltext