Long-Term Survival Outcomes of Metabolically Supported Chemotherapy with Gemcitabine-Based or FOLFIRINOX Regimen Combined with Ketogenic Diet, Hyperthermia, and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy in Metastatic Pancreatic Cancer.
Level 4 - case-series / case-control
Retrospective single-arm observational case series without a comparator group
PubMed 31527373 · doi:10.1159/000502135
What was done
A retrospective observational study evaluated 25 patients with stage IV metastatic pancreatic ductal carcinoma treated with metabolically supported chemotherapy (MSCT; either gemcitabine-based or FOLFIRINOX regimens administered alongside induced hypoglycemia) in combination with a ketogenic diet, hyperthermia, and hyperbaric oxygen therapy (HBOT). Survival outcomes were assessed over a mean follow-up period of 25.4 ± 19.3 months.
What was found
Median overall survival was 15.8 months (95% CI, 10.5–21.1) and median progression-free survival was 12.9 months (95% CI, 11.2–14.6). Neither age nor gender significantly influenced overall survival (p > 0.05 for all comparisons).
Why it matters
This study reports survival parameters for a multimodal metabolic protocol combined with standard chemotherapy in stage IV pancreatic cancer. It provides preliminary descriptive data for a complementary oncology regimen.
Limits
The study is limited by a very small sample size (n = 25), a retrospective single-arm design, and lack of a control or randomized comparator group. The multiple simultaneous interventions (induced hypoglycemia, dietary changes, hyperthermia, and HBOT) make it impossible to determine the relative contribution or efficacy of any single component.
Cited by
- contradicts A clinic in Istanbul used ketogenic therapy combined with reduced-dose chemotherapy to achieve 4- to 5-year survival in terminal pancreatic and advanced breast cancer patients.