Blood sugar levels and cancer cell growth

https://connect.mayoclinic.org/blog/cancer-education-center/newsfeed-post/sugars-role-in-cancer-1/

I've read a half dozen studies about sugar and cancer and while there is anecdotal evidence that sugar could contribute to getting cancer, I've not found any study that says that sugar causes or prevents cancer grown once you have it - at least not done on a large enough scale to be considered definitive.

I talked to three oncologists and asked them specifically about this and their answer was the same: while there are studies, nothing has been proven to an extent as to be medically relied upon.

I'm sure there are other opinions and studies, but the ones I've read that have some implication were done with very small subsets of men and showed negligible changes that could exclude other circumstances that may have arrived at the same conclusion.

So, like all things in the medical field this could be true or it could be untrue and no matter what we do there will always be a differing opinion on the matter. You see this even on this forum where people can point to article after article of a miracle treatment that they went with and are good, but why aren't all doctors providing the miracle treatment then?

I don't discount anyone's experience, if it worked then it worked and thank God - but I have to rely on educated professionals in the medical industry that tell me what should be done and while they may be wrong I have to give considerable weight to their medical opinion. It's very easy to go down numerous rabbit holes for all kinds of treatment options.

I choose not to believe that doctors are just so greedy that they want to recommend surgery just to line their pockets, to the exclusion of better methods that might save patients.

In the end we have to rely on what feels right for us - this is where my research led me so I have to rely on that and not constantly feel like I'm second guessing everything lest I go insane. But, to reiterate: I do NOT judge anyone for their beliefs/treatments/opinions on the topic, this is a terrible disease and there are many paths.

jeffmarc, hi.
I see the distinction and appreciate your engagement.
More correctly stated, "Where"ADT is commonly advised in early stages of prostate cancer it is because of the clinicals." The recent work of Amir Kishan (UCLA) is widely known in advanced cancer centers in the US.
The advice for two months of ADT before treatment of intermediate, ADT sensitive prostate cancer was consistent with both surgical oncologist and radiation oncologist both proton and photon, with a four to six month duration. Between Lupron and Orgovyx the advice was mixed.
I'm unfamiliar with ADT advice for advanced or recurrent prostate cancer,
but assume the trials are influencial in determining which androgen deprivation agent is prescribed and in which combination. Newer agents like orgovyx are subject to clinicals.
In somatic testing on whether the tumor involved is androgen sensitive, the clinical trials have been crucial.

That's a good question: can the side-effects of the cure be more dangerous than the disease?

They've actually experiemented with this. For earlier-stage prostate cancer (PCa), ADT "holidays" once PSA is very low and stable produced similar or even slightly-better outcomes for many patients, possibly because the lowered risk of diabetes, heart disease, obesity, bone-mass loss, etc, outweighed any slightly-elevated risk of PCa progression. (They restart ADT if/when PSA rises again.)

However, for those of us with advanced PCa, it didn't work out so well. Going off ADT for "holidays" reduced overall survival noticeably, possibly because the dangers from progression are more immediate and severe.

In my case, there's the added risk that my stage 4 castrate-sensitive PCa might come back as castrate-resistant after an ADT holiday. Those are dice I will not roll.

Of course, a new study with new data might change best practices once again. Our field is moving fast.

merci

"merci"

J'suis anglo, mais bienvenue quand-même ! 🙂

You make a good point. I decided to go with a Mediterranean Diet. Some studies have shown it stops the spread of cancer. I’m been using this diet for three years. I grateful that it has worked: no weight gain and my cancer has remained in remission.

I do not think it is greed, it may be trust. I opted for a HIFU procedure to eliminate just the small Gleason 7 tumor on one side of my prostate, leaving some Gleason 6 on the other side. I needed approval to get the procedure, and the main issue is whether I would do all the follow-up? I also had an infection from the biopsy, so elected not to do another biopsy after the procedure, but will need more frequent MRIs if I do not do biopsies. They want us to live, and if they do not think we will follow up, the best procedure for someone not likely to follow up is removing the prostate.

Oh sorry. I am Belgian. Just colonizing this country.

The oncologist should be considering this and if not ask about it. Mine didn't until I started Abiraterone, he then referred me to the oncology cardiologist. Now I have had two ECGs, an echocardiogram and soon a cardiac CT in the space of 3 months.

Before ADT I arranged an ECG and an echo myself because I knew ADT could lengthen QTc and I wanted a baseline.