Cancer drugs in diet boost

GLASGOW scientists have uncovered a special diet that could make cancer treatments more effective.

New research on mice shows diet changes that could help people with lymphoma and intestinal cancer.

The next step is for researchers at Glasgow’s Cancer Research UK Beatson Institute and Glasgow University to start human trials on cancer patients.

Dr Oliver Maddocks, a Cancer Research UK scientist at Glasgow University, said: “Our findings suggest that restricting specific amino acids through a controlled diet plan could be an additional part of treatment for some cancer patients in future, helping to make other treatments more effective.”

Professor Karen Vousden, Cancer Research UK’s chief scientist, was study co-author.

Cutting out certain amino acids – the building blocks of proteins – from the diet of mice slows tumour growth and prolongs survival, this research shows.

Scientists found removing two nonessential amino acids – serine and glycine – from the diet of mice slowed the development of lymphoma and intestinal cancer.

The researchers also found that the special diet made some cancer cells more susceptible to chemicals in cells called reactive oxygen species.

Chemotherapy and radiotherapy boost levels of these chemicals in the cells, so this research suggests a specially formulated diet could make conventional cancer treatments more effective.

Dr Emma Smith, science communication manager at Cancer Research UK, said: “This is a really interesting look at how cutting off the supply of nutrients essential to cancer cell growth and division could help restrain tumours.”