NCT03535701

Brief Summary

This pilot clinical trial studies how well a ketogenic diet and chemotherapy work in affecting the return of cancer in patients with stage IV breast cancer. Ketogenic diet may be more effective than standard nutrition and may affect quality of life, inflammation, and tumor-related changes. Drugs used in chemotherapy, such as paclitaxel, work in different ways to stop the growth of tumor cells, either by killing the cells, by stopping them from dividing, or by stopping them from spreading. Giving ketogenic diet and chemotherapy may be better in patients with breast cancer.

Trial Health

87
On Track

Trial Health Score

Automated assessment based on enrollment pace, timeline, and geographic reach

Enrollment
20

participants targeted

Target at P25-P50 for phase_1

Timeline
Completed

Started Oct 2017

Typical duration for phase_1

Geographic Reach
1 country

1 active site

Status
completed

Health score is calculated from publicly available data and should be used for screening purposes only.

Trial Relationships

Click on a node to explore related trials.

Study Timeline

Key milestones and dates

Study Start

First participant enrolled

October 20, 2017

Completed
7 months until next milestone

First Submitted

Initial submission to the registry

May 9, 2018

Completed
15 days until next milestone

First Posted

Study publicly available on registry

May 24, 2018

Completed
1.8 years until next milestone

Primary Completion

Last participant's last visit for primary outcome

March 1, 2020

Completed
2 months until next milestone

Study Completion

Last participant's last visit for all outcomes

May 1, 2020

Completed
Last Updated

June 8, 2025

Status Verified

June 1, 2025

Enrollment Period

2.4 years

First QC Date

May 9, 2018

Last Update Submit

June 5, 2025

Conditions

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (3)

  • Adherence and compliance to the ketogenic diet

    Summaries from diet assessments and ketone logs will be plotted over time to assess adherence and compliance to the ketogenic diet.

    Up to 26 weeks

  • Changes in psychosocial measures

    Summary measures such as Cohens d will be used. Linear and nonlinear mixed models will be used as appropriate to model changes in tumor markers, comorbidity risk factors, and other measures over time, with emphasis will be on estimating effect sizes (such as slopes of change). Post hoc tests will be used to examine pairwise comparisons when significant main or interaction effects are observed. The alpha level for significance will be set at p =\< 0.05.

    Baseline up to 26 weeks

  • Changes in physiologic outcomes

    Summary measures such as Cohens d will be used. Linear and nonlinear mixed models will be used as appropriate to model changes in tumor markers, comorbidity risk factors, and other measures over time, with emphasis will be on estimating effect sizes (such as slopes of change). Post hoc tests will be used to examine pairwise comparisons when significant main or interaction effects are observed. The alpha level for significance will be set at p =\< 0.05.

    Baseline up to 26 weeks

Study Arms (2)

Arm I (standard of care)

ACTIVE COMPARATOR

Patients receive standard of care therapy with paclitaxel.

Other: Laboratory Biomarker AnalysisDrug: PaclitaxelOther: Quality-of-Life AssessmentOther: Questionnaire Administration

Arm II (standard of care, ketogenic diet)

EXPERIMENTAL

Patients receive standard of care with paclitaxel. Patients undergo a controlled feeding period ketogenic diet comprising of meals prepared in the research kitchen for 3 months. Beginning 2 weeks prior to completion of the controlled feeding period, patients also undergo free living ketogenic diet program for 3 months comprising of group format, individual sessions, and online digital content to educate patients to implement a ketogenic eating pattern into their lifestyle.

Dietary Supplement: Dietary InterventionOther: Laboratory Biomarker AnalysisDrug: PaclitaxelOther: Quality-of-Life AssessmentOther: Questionnaire Administration

Interventions

Dietary InterventionDIETARY_SUPPLEMENT

Undergo ketogenic diet

Also known as: Dietary Modification, intervention, dietary, Nutrition Intervention, Nutrition Interventions, Nutritional Interventions
Arm II (standard of care, ketogenic diet)

Correlative studies

Arm I (standard of care)Arm II (standard of care, ketogenic diet)

Given standard of care therapy with paclitaxel

Also known as: Anzatax, Asotax, Bristaxol, Praxel, Taxol, Taxol Konzentrat
Arm I (standard of care)Arm II (standard of care, ketogenic diet)

Ancillary studies

Also known as: Quality of Life Assessment
Arm I (standard of care)Arm II (standard of care, ketogenic diet)

Ancillary studies

Arm I (standard of care)Arm II (standard of care, ketogenic diet)

Eligibility Criteria

Age18 Years+
Sexall
Healthy VolunteersNo
Age GroupsAdult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

  • Body mass index (BMI) \>= 22 kg/m\^2
  • Confirmed diagnosis of metastatic or stage IV BC
  • Fludeoxyglucose F-18 (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) avid tumors
  • Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status of 0-1 (0=participant has either normal activity, 1= participant has some symptoms but is nearly full ambulatory)
  • Life expectancy \> 6 months
  • Able and willing to follow prescribed diet intervention

You may not qualify if:

  • Prior chemotherapy for metastatic breast cancer (MBC) (prior adjuvant chemotherapy permitted as long as \> 12 months \[mo\])
  • BMI \< 25 kg/m\^2
  • Weight change \> 5% within 3 months of enrollment
  • Type 1 diabetes
  • History of diabetes with retinopathy requiring treatment
  • Current use of insulin or sulfonylureads for glycemic control, or history of ketoacidosis
  • Intestinal obstruction
  • Bilirubin \> 2
  • Albumin \< 3.5
  • Glomerular filtration rate (GFR) \< 55 mL/min
  • Creatinine \> 2.0
  • Urinary albumin \> 1 g/day
  • Congestive heart failure
  • Pregnant or nursing women
  • Unable to provide informed consent
  • +1 more criteria

Contact the study team to confirm eligibility.

Sponsors & Collaborators

Study Sites (1)

Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center

Columbus, Ohio, 43210, United States

Location

Related Links

MeSH Terms

Interventions

Diet TherapyPaclitaxelTaxes

Intervention Hierarchy (Ancestors)

Nutrition TherapyTherapeuticsTaxoidsCyclodecanesCycloparaffinsHydrocarbons, AlicyclicHydrocarbons, CyclicHydrocarbonsOrganic ChemicalsDiterpenesTerpenesEconomicsHealth Care Economics and Organizations

Study Officials

  • Jeff Volek, PhD

    Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center

    PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

Study Type
interventional
Phase
phase 1
Allocation
NON RANDOMIZED
Masking
NONE
Purpose
SUPPORTIVE CARE
Intervention Model
PARALLEL
Sponsor Type
OTHER
Responsible Party
PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
PI Title
Principal Investigator

Study Record Dates

First Submitted

May 9, 2018

First Posted

May 24, 2018

Study Start

October 20, 2017

Primary Completion

March 1, 2020

Study Completion

May 1, 2020

Last Updated

June 8, 2025

Record last verified: 2025-06

Data Sharing

IPD Sharing
Will not share

Locations