Which Foods are Recommended for Melanoma?

Highlights

No two cancers are the same, nor are they treated the same, and neither should nutrition be the same for everyone. Nutrition includes foods like pulses, vegetables, fruits, nuts, oils, herbs and spices. Also nutrition includes supplements which are high concentrations of foods or high concentrations of individual ingredients found in foods. For cancers like Melanoma when undergoing chemotherapy or when you determine you have a genetic risk for developing Melanoma because of APOB and MGAM gene mutations, a very important question is “What foods should I avoid and what foods are recommended specifically for me?”. The other related question is “What nutritional supplements should I avoid?”.

There is no one answer to this question for cancers such as Melanoma which can be found through internet searches. The answer to the question is “It Depends” because the nutrition plan needs to be personalized for you. Nutrition should depend on the cancer indication, genetic information, adult or pediatric, staging, primary or secondary, advanced, metastatic, relapsed or refractory, ongoing treatments if any, nutritional supplements being taken, age and factors like gender, weight, height, lifestyle, allergies and food preferences.

In short – the process to answer questions like “Should I Avoid eating fruit Roselle” or “Include fruit Saskatoon Berry in my diet” or “Should I reduce consumption of vegetable Lotus” or “Can I take Lycopene and D-limonene supplements” is not as simple as internet searches. The process is very complex and answers are based on knowhow of genetics, action of treatments, active ingredients in foods and their associated biological action. Finally the answer to the nutrition question needs to be personalized for you.

RECOMMENDATION: PERSONALIZE YOUR FOODS AND SUPPLEMENTS TO MELANOMA, TREATMENTS, GENETIC INFORMATION, AND OTHER CONDITIONS.

The overall objective of personalized nutrition for Melanoma is to minimize foods and nutritional supplements which have adverse interactions with cancer molecular drivers and ongoing treatments. And identify those foods and supplements which have a beneficial action. Whenever there are changes in treatments or diagnosis – it is important to remember that your foods and supplements need re-evaluation. And the answers to the nutrition question could be different based on the new context.

RECOMMENDATION: UPDATE YOUR NUTRITION FOR MELANOMA, WHEN TREATMENTS, DISEASE STATUS AND OTHER CONDITIONS CHANGE.

About Melanoma

cBioPortal is one source of collection of cancer patient data from clinical trials across 350 plus cancer indications. The data from each clinical trial includes the clinical trial name and study details like number of patients, ages, gender, ethnicity, treatments, tumor site, genetic aberrations found and analysis of all the data. The cBioPortal for Cancer Genomics was originally developed at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (MSK). The public cBioPortal site is hosted by the Center for Molecular Oncology at MSK – https://www.cbioportal.org/about.

Following key highlights are derived from clinical data for Melanoma from cBioPortal. The patients enrolled in the studies for Melanoma are in ages between 5 to 90 with an average age of 56. 62.8% of males and 37.2% of females were the distribution of gender in these clinical studies. From a patient sample size of 3154; the top genes with mutations and other abnormalities for Melanoma include genes MUC16, BRAF, APOB, MGAM and NRAS. The occurrence frequency distribution for these genes respectively is 7.5%, 4.9%, 3.9%, 3.9% and 3.7%. These tumor genetic details of Melanoma are mapped to molecular biochemical pathway drivers of cancer thereby providing definition of characteristic features of Melanoma.

Melanoma is cancer of the skin and is by far the most common of all cancers. It accounts for 1.7% of global cancer diagnosis and is the fifth most common cancer in the US. American Cancer Society (ACS) estimates for melanoma in the United States for 2022 are 99,780 newly diagnosed cases (about 57,180 in men and 42,600 in women) and about 7,650 people are expected to die of melanoma. The lifetime risk of getting melanoma is highest in the white population at 2.6% (1 in 38), 0.1% for blacks (1 in 1000) and 0.6% for Hispanics (1 in 167). Melanoma is more common in men overall, but before age 50 the rates are higher in women than in men. 5-year survival rates for localized, early-stage melanoma are 99%, for regional melanoma 68%, and only 30% for distant, advanced, metastasized melanoma. Primary factors contributing to melanoma are sun UV-exposure, indoor tanning beds, immunosuppression, family history, rare congenital diseases, moles, and obesity. Prognosis of melanoma has considerably improved over the years with multiple treatment options including targeted therapy and immunotherapy options, supported by the right nutrition (foods and natural supplements) aligned to the treatment context. (Ref: American Cancer Society ACS; Saginala K et al, Med Sci (Basel), 2021; 9(4): 63).

Significance of Nutrition for Melanoma

All foods and nutritional supplements consist of a collection of one or more active chemical ingredients in different proportions and quantities. The action of some active ingredients in a food can have adverse interactions while other active ingredients in the same food may be supportive from the context of Melanoma. Hence the same food has good and not-so-good actions and analysis of combined effect will be needed to come up with a personalized nutrition plan.

For example Roselle includes active ingredients Vitamin E, Linolenic Acid, Beta-sitosterol, Vitamin C, Stigmasterol and others. And Saskatoon Berry contains active ingredients Quercetin, Delphinidin and others. It is likely that some of these active ingredients of the same food could have opposing effects and hence it is recommended to identify recommended foods based on analysis of all high quantity ingredients contained in foods.

For cancers like Melanoma, activation or inhibition of selected biochemical pathways like RAS-RAF Signaling, Inositol Phosphate Signaling, Extracellular Matrix Remodelling, Focal Adhesion plays an important role in driving cancer growth. Similarly different treatments work via different molecular actions which should never be canceled out by your foods and supplements. The foods and nutritional supplements contain different active ingredients each of which have a specific molecular action on different biochemical pathways. Hence, eating some foods and nutritional supplements would be recommended with a specific treatment of Melanoma, while eating some other foods and supplements may not be recommended.

One common mistake when finding foods to eat or not – is to consider only a few active ingredients contained in foods based on internet searches and ignore the rest. Because different active ingredients contained in foods may have opposing effects on relevant biochemical pathways – it is recommended to consider all the high quantity active ingredients that are present in significant and much larger than trace amounts in the food.

RECOMMENDATION: TO FIND RECOMMENDED AND NON-RECOMMENDED FOODS FOR MELANOMA – CONSIDER HIGH QUANTITY ACTIVE INGREDIENTS CONTAINED IN FOODS.

Foods for Melanoma undergoing chemotherapy treatment

In Melanoma – the genes MUC16, BRAF, APOB, MGAM and NRAS have high occurrences of genomic abnormalities. Not all of these genes necessarily are relevant for cancer – though they have been reported. Some of these genes directly or indirectly end up manipulating different cancer related biochemical biological pathways. Some of the pathways which are relevant drivers for Melanoma are RAS-RAF Signaling, Inositol Phosphate Signaling, Adherens junction and others. Dabrafenib is one of the chemotherapies used for cancer treatment. The intent of treatment is to negate or cancel out effects of biochemical pathway drivers RAS-RAF Signaling, Inositol Phosphate Signaling, Adherens junction so as to reduce disease progression and inhibit growth. Those foods whose combined action of active ingredients support treatment action and do not enhance disease drivers are recommended foods and supplements which will be included in personalized nutrition. And similarly – those foods whose combined action of active ingredients is not supportive of treatment action but end up promoting disease drives will not be recommended in your personalized nutrition plan.

RECOMMENDATION: AVOID SUPPLEMENTS AND FOODS WHICH ARE NOT SUPPORTIVE OF CANCER TREATMENT ACTION AND RATHER ENHANCE DISEASE DRIVERS.

Eat more pulses, Adzuki Bean or Pigeon Pea?

Pulses are an important part of many diets. The active ingredients contained in Adzuki Bean are Isoliquiritigenin, Genistein, Glucaric Acid, Folic Acid among others. While the active ingredients contained in Pigeon Pea are Linolenic Acid, Genistein, Vitamin C, Oleic Acid, Vitamin A and others.

Glucaric Acid can manipulate biochemical pathways Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition, Inositol Phosphate Signaling and Cell Survival. Isoliquiritigenin has biological action on biochemical pathways Adherens junction, DNA Repair and Growth Factor Signaling.

Genistein can manipulate biochemical pathways DNA Repair. Vitamin C has biological action on biochemical pathways Oxidative Stress. And so on.

When treating Melanoma with chemotherapy Dabrafenib – Foods like Adzuki Bean are recommended compared to Pigeon Pea. This is because the active ingredients Genistein and Vitamin C in Pigeon Pea interferes with treatment action by canceling out the biochemical pathways through which the chemotherapy works. While the active ingredients Glucaric Acid and Isoliquiritigenin contained in Adzuki Bean support the treatment action by enhancing the biochemical pathway effect through which the chemotherapy works.

RECOMMENDATION: ADZUKI BEAN IS RECOMMENDED OVER PIGEON PEA FOR MELANOMA ON TREATMENT WITH CHEMOTHERAPY DABRAFENIB FOR SOME CONDITIONS.

Eat more vegetables, Jicama or Lotus?

Vegetables are an important part of many diets. The active ingredients contained in Jicama are Vitamin C, Beta-carotene, Vitamin A, Vitamin B3, Folic Acid among others. While the active ingredients contained in Lotus are Quercetin, Kaempferol, Linolenic Acid, Beta-sitosterol, Vitamin C and others.

Beta-carotene can manipulate biochemical pathways Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition, Adherens junction and DNA Repair. Vitamin A has biological action on biochemical pathways TGFB Signaling, MYC Signaling and WNT Beta Catenin Signaling.

Kaempferol can manipulate biochemical pathways Insulin Signaling. Beta-sitosterol has biological action on biochemical pathways Oxidative Stress. And so on.

When treating Melanoma with chemotherapy Dabrafenib – Foods like Jicama are recommended compared to Lotus. This is because the active ingredients Kaempferol and Beta-sitosterol in Lotus interferes with treatment action by canceling out the biochemical pathways through which the chemotherapy works. While the active ingredients Beta-carotene and Vitamin A contained in Jicama support the treatment action by enhancing the biochemical pathway effect through which the chemotherapy works.

RECOMMENDATION: JICAMA IS RECOMMENDED OVER LOTUS FOR MELANOMA ON TREATMENT WITH CHEMOTHERAPY DABRAFENIB FOR SOME CONDITIONS.

Eat more fruits, Saskatoon Berry or Roselle?

Fruits are an important part of many diets. The active ingredients contained in Saskatoon Berry are Quercetin, Delphinidin among others. While the active ingredients contained in Roselle are Vitamin E, Linolenic Acid, Beta-sitosterol, Vitamin C, Stigmasterol and others.

Delphinidin can manipulate biochemical pathways Oxidative Stress, Growth Factor Signaling and MYC Signaling. Quercetin has biological action on biochemical pathways Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition, Inositol Phosphate Signaling and Adherens junction.

Beta-sitosterol can manipulate biochemical pathways Oxidative Stress. Vitamin C has biological action on biochemical pathways Oxidative Stress. And so on.

When treating Melanoma with chemotherapy Dabrafenib – Foods like Saskatoon Berry are recommended compared to Roselle. This is because the active ingredients Beta-sitosterol and Vitamin C in Roselle interferes with treatment action by canceling out the biochemical pathways through which the chemotherapy works. While the active ingredients Delphinidin and Quercetin contained in Saskatoon Berry support the treatment action by enhancing the biochemical pathway effect through which the chemotherapy works.

RECOMMENDATION: SASKATOON BERRY IS RECOMMENDED OVER ROSELLE FOR MELANOMA ON TREATMENT WITH CHEMOTHERAPY DABRAFENIB FOR SOME CONDITIONS.

Eat more nuts, Pine Nut or Pumpkin Seeds?

Nuts are an important part of many diets. The active ingredients contained in Pine Nut are Vitamin E, Linolenic Acid, Beta-sitosterol, Oleic Acid, Linoleic Acid among others. While the active ingredients contained in Pumpkin Seeds are Cucurbitacin I, Salicylic Acid, Linolenic Acid, Beta-sitosterol, Gamma-linolenic Acid and others.

Vitamin K can manipulate biochemical pathways MYC Signaling, Vitamin D Signaling and PI3K-AKT-MTOR Signaling. Vitamin E has biological action on biochemical pathways Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition, Inositol Phosphate Signaling and Growth Factor Signaling.

Gamma-linolenic Acid can manipulate biochemical pathways Vitamin D Signaling. Lecithin has biological action on biochemical pathways Cell Junctions, Cytoskeletal Dynamics and JAK-STAT Signaling. And so on.

When treating Melanoma with chemotherapy Dabrafenib – Foods like Pine Nut are recommended compared to Pumpkin Seeds. This is because the active ingredients Gamma-linolenic Acid and Lecithin in Pumpkin Seeds interferes with treatment action by canceling out the biochemical pathways through which the chemotherapy works. While the active ingredients Vitamin K and Vitamin E contained in Pine Nut support the treatment action by enhancing the biochemical pathway effect through which the chemotherapy works.

RECOMMENDATION: PINE NUT IS RECOMMENDED OVER PUMPKIN SEEDS FOR MELANOMA ON TREATMENT WITH CHEMOTHERAPY DABRAFENIB FOR SOME CONDITIONS.

Foods for Genetic Risk of Melanoma

One of the ways to assess risk of cancer is by checking for presence of genetic abnormalities in a set of genes. There is prior information on a list of genes whose mutations and other aberrations can play a role in risk to different cancers. APOB and MGAM are two genes whose abnormalities are risk factors for Melanoma. In such a cancer risk situation – while there are typically no treatments which a physician can prescribe – the various biochemical pathways which are potentially molecular drivers of Melanoma can be used as a guide for coming up with a recommended personalized nutrition plan. For Melanoma gene APOB has causative impact on biological pathways like Focal Adhesion and NFKB Signaling. And MGAM has a causative impact on biological pathways like Carbohydrate Metabolism. Foods and nutritional supplements which have molecular action to cancel out biochemical pathways effects of genes like APOB and MGAM should be included in a personalized nutrition plan. And those foods and supplements which promote the effects of genes APOB and MGAM should be avoided.

Eat more pulses, Lentils or Fava Bean?

The active ingredients contained in Lentils are Ellagic Acid, Esculin, Beta-sitosterol, Vitamin C, Daidzein among others. While the active ingredients contained in Fava Bean are Quercetin, Vitamin C, Beta-sitosterol, Daidzein, Caffeic Acid and others.

Ellagic Acid can manipulate biochemical pathways Post Translation Modification, RAS-RAF Signaling and Notch Signaling. Esculin has biological action on biochemical pathways MYC Signaling.

Cianidanol can manipulate biochemical pathways Complement Cascade. Epicatechin has biological action on biochemical pathways Complement Cascade. And so on.

For genetic risk of Melanoma due to abnormalities in genes APOB and MGAM – Foods like Lentils are recommended compared to Fava Bean. This is because the active ingredients Cianidanol and Epicatechin in Fava Bean further promote the effects of genes on the biochemical pathways. While the active ingredients Ellagic Acid and Esculin contained in Lentils together have a canceling effect of genes on the biochemical pathways.

RECOMMENDATION: LENTILS IS RECOMMENDED OVER FAVA BEAN FOR REDUCING THE GENETIC RISK OF MELANOMA DUE TO GENES APOB AND MGAM

Eat more vegetables, Burdock or Jute?

The active ingredients contained in Burdock are Lupeol, Arctigenin, Chlorogenic Acid, Caffeic Acid, Dehydrocostus Lactone among others. While the active ingredients contained in Jute are Quercetin, Vitamin C, Oleic Acid, Vitamin B3, Linolenic Acid and others.

Chlorogenic Acid can manipulate biochemical pathways MYC Signaling and Extracellular Matrix Remodelling. Caffeic Acid has biological action on biochemical pathways Post Translation Modification, RAS-RAF Signaling and Notch Signaling.

Linolenic Acid can manipulate biochemical pathways Complement Cascade. Folic Acid has biological action on biochemical pathways MYC Signaling. And so on.

For genetic risk of Melanoma due to abnormalities in genes APOB and MGAM – Foods like Burdock are recommended compared to Jute. This is because the active ingredients Linolenic Acid and Folic Acid in Jute further promote the effects of genes on the biochemical pathways. While the active ingredients Chlorogenic Acid and Caffeic Acid contained in Burdock together have a canceling effect of genes on the biochemical pathways.

RECOMMENDATION: BURDOCK IS RECOMMENDED OVER JUTE FOR REDUCING THE GENETIC RISK OF MELANOMA DUE TO GENES APOB AND MGAM

Eat more fruits, Bilberry or Cherry?

The active ingredients contained in Bilberry are Gallic Acid, Quercetin, Resveratrol, Chlorogenic Acid, Caffeic Acid among others. While the active ingredients contained in Cherry are Quercetin, Beta-sitosterol, Isorhamnetin, Vitamin C, Chlorogenic Acid and others.

Chlorogenic Acid can manipulate biochemical pathways MYC Signaling and Extracellular Matrix Remodelling. Arbutin has biological action on biochemical pathways MYC Signaling.

Isorhamnetin can manipulate biochemical pathways Small Molecule Transport and Calcium Signaling. Chrysin has biological action on biochemical pathways MYC Signaling. And so on.

For genetic risk of Melanoma due to abnormalities in genes APOB and MGAM – Foods like Bilberry are recommended compared to Cherry. This is because the active ingredients Isorhamnetin and Chrysin in Cherry further promote the effects of genes on the biochemical pathways. While the active ingredients Chlorogenic Acid and Arbutin contained in Bilberry together have a canceling effect of genes on the biochemical pathways.

RECOMMENDATION: BILBERRY IS RECOMMENDED OVER CHERRY FOR REDUCING THE GENETIC RISK OF MELANOMA DUE TO GENES APOB AND MGAM

Eat more nuts, Acorn or Almond?

The active ingredients contained in Acorn are Gallic Acid, Quercetin, Vitamin C, Beta-sitosterol, Beta-carotene among others. While the active ingredients contained in Almond are Quercetin, Vitamin E, Beta-sitosterol, Oleic Acid, Stigmasterol and others.

Gallic Acid can manipulate biochemical pathways MYC Signaling, Calcium Signaling and Notch Signaling. Quercetin has biological action on biochemical pathways Small Molecule Transport, MYC Signaling and Calcium Signaling.

Linolenic Acid can manipulate biochemical pathways Complement Cascade. Linoleic Acid has biological action on biochemical pathways Complement Cascade. And so on.

For genetic risk of Melanoma due to abnormalities in genes APOB and MGAM – Foods like Acorn are recommended compared to Almond. This is because the active ingredients Linolenic Acid and Linoleic Acid in Almond further promote the effects of genes on the biochemical pathways. While the active ingredients Gallic Acid and Quercetin contained in Acorn together have a canceling effect of genes on the biochemical pathways.

RECOMMENDATION: ACORN IS RECOMMENDED OVER ALMOND FOR REDUCING THE GENETIC RISK OF MELANOMA DUE TO GENES APOB AND MGAM

In Summary

An important thing to remember is that cancer treatments may not be the same for everyone – and neither should your nutrition be. Nutrition which includes food and nutritional supplements is a very effective tool controlled by you.

“What should I eat?” is the most frequently asked question in the context of cancer. The answer calculation is complex and depends upon cancer type, underlying genomics, current treatments, any allergies, lifestyle information, and factors like BMI.

The addon personalized nutrition plan recommends foods and supplements which minimizes adverse nutrition interactions and encourages support to treatments.

You can get started NOW and design a personalized nutrition plan for Melanoma by answering questions on type of cancer, current treatments, supplements, allergies, age group, gender, and lifestyle information.

What food you eat and which supplements you take is a decision you make. Your decision should include consideration of the cancer gene mutations, which cancer, ongoing treatments and supplements, any allergies, lifestyle information, weight, height and habits.

The nutrition planning for cancer from addon is not based on internet searches. It automates the decision making for you based on molecular science implemented by our scientists and software engineers. Irrespective of whether you care to understand the underlying biochemical molecular pathways or not - for nutrition planning for cancer that understanding is needed.

Get started NOW with your nutrition planning by answering questions on the name of cancer, genetic mutations, ongoing treatments and supplements, any allergies, habits, lifestyle, age group and gender.

References

• Summit 2018
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