Foods for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma!

Introduction

Foods for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma should be personalized for each individual and also must adapt when cancer treatment or tumor genetic change. The personalization and adaptation must consider all the active ingredients or bioactives contained in different foods with respect to cancer tissue biology, genetics, treatments, lifestyle conditions and diet preferences. Hence while nutrition is one of the very important decisions for a cancer patient and individual at risk of cancer to make – how to choose foods to eat is not an easy task.

Pancreatic adenocarcinoma is a highly aggressive form of cancer that affects the pancreas. Recognizing the symptoms of pancreatic adenocarcinoma, such as abdominal pain, jaundice, weight loss, and digestive issues, is crucial for early detection. The survival rate for pancreatic adenocarcinoma is generally low, as it is often diagnosed at advanced stages. Proper staging of the cancer is important in determining the extent and spread of the disease. Accurate medical coding using the appropriate ICD-10 code is crucial for proper documentation. Understanding the prognosis of pancreatic adenocarcinoma is important for patients and their families. Advancements in radiology play a critical role in the diagnosis and evaluation of pancreatic adenocarcinoma. Pathology outlines provide valuable information about the characteristics of pancreatic adenocarcinoma cells. Treatment options for pancreatic adenocarcinoma may include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy, and targeted therapies, with the goal of improving survival rates. Proper diagnosis and staging of pancreatic adenocarcinoma are crucial for determining the feasibility of curative treatment. Adenocarcinoma is the most common type of pancreatic cancer, making up the majority of cases. Understanding the different types of pancreatic adenocarcinoma and their specific features is important for guiding treatment decisions. Chemotherapy is a commonly used treatment modality in pancreatic adenocarcinoma, either as a neoadjuvant or adjuvant therapy. Guidelines offer recommendations for the management of pancreatic adenocarcinoma and support personalized treatment approaches. The location of pancreatic adenocarcinoma can vary within the pancreas, affecting different areas and structures. By staying informed and seeking appropriate medical care, individuals diagnosed with pancreatic adenocarcinoma can access the latest treatments and optimize their outcomes.

For Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma does it matter what vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds one eats?

A very common nutrition question asked by cancer patients and individuals at-genetic risk of cancer is – for cancers like Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma does it matter what foods I eat and which I do not? Or if I follow a plant-based diet is that enough for cancer like Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma?

For example does it matter if vegetable Globe Artichoke is consumed more compared to Broccoli? Does it make any difference if fruit Acerola is preferred over Pomegranate? Also if similar choices are made for nuts/seeds like Butternut over European Chestnut and for pulses like Broad Bean over Soy Bean. And if what I eat matters – then how does one identify foods which are recommended for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma and is it the same answer for everyone with the same diagnosis or genetic risk?

Yes! Foods you eat matters for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma!

Food recommendations may not be the same for everyone and can be different even for the same diagnosis and genetic risk.

All foods (vegetables, fruits, nuts, seeds, pulses, oils etc.) and nutritional supplements are made up of more than one active molecular ingredient or bio-actives in different proportions and quantities. Each active ingredient has a unique mechanism of action – which can be activation or inhibition of different biochemical pathways. Simply stated foods and supplements which are recommended are those which do not cause an increase of molecular drivers of cancer but reduce them. Else those foods should not be recommended. Foods contain multiple active ingredients – hence when evaluating foods and supplements you need to consider the impact of all active ingredients cumulatively rather than individually.

For example Acerola contains active ingredients Quercetin, Apigenin, Myricetin, Isoliquiritigenin, Luteolin. And Pomegranate contains active ingredients Quercetin, Apigenin, Myricetin, Isoliquiritigenin, Luteolin and possibly others.

A common mistake made when deciding and choosing foods to eat for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma – is to evaluate only selected active ingredients contained in foods and ignore the rest. Because different active ingredients contained in foods may have opposing effects on cancer drivers – you cannot cherry pick active ingredients in foods and supplements for making a nutrition decision for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma.

YES – FOOD CHOICES MATTER FOR CANCER. NUTRITION DECISIONS MUST CONSIDER ALL ACTIVE INGREDIENTS OF FOODS.

Skills Needed for Nutrition Personalization for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma?

Personalized nutrition for cancers like Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma consists of recommended foods / supplements; not recommended foods / supplements with example recipes which prioritize use of recommended foods. An example of personalized nutrition can be seen at this link.

Deciding which foods are recommended or not is extremely complicated, requiring expertise in Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma biology, food science, genetics, biochemistry along with good understanding of how cancer treatments work and associated vulnerabilities by which the treatments could stop being effective.

MINIMUM KNOWLEDGE EXPERTISE NEEDED FOR NUTRITION PERSONALIZATION FOR CANCER ARE: CANCER BIOLOGY, FOOD SCIENCE, CANCER TREATMENTS AND GENETICS.

Characteristics of cancers like Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

All cancers like Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma can be characterized by a unique set of biochemical pathways – the signature pathways of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma. Biochemical pathways like Extracellular Matrix Remodelling, MAPK Signaling, PI3K-AKT-MTOR Signaling, Cell Cycle are part of the signature definition of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma. Each individual’s cancer genetics can be different and hence their specific cancer signature could be unique.

The treatments which are effective for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma need to be cognizant of the associated signature biochemical pathways for each cancer patient and individual at genetic risk. Therefore different treatments with different mechanisms of actions are effective for different patients. Similarly and for the same reasons foods and supplements need to be personalized for each individual. Hence some foods and supplements are recommended for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma when taking cancer treatment Paclitaxel, and some foods and supplements are not recommended.

Sources like cBioPortal and many others provide population representative patient anonymized data from clinical trials for all cancer indications. This data consists of clinical trial study details like sample size / number of patients, age groups, gender, ethnicity, treatments, tumor site and any genetic mutations.

CDKN2A, CTNNA2, MUC4, NOTCH1 and RYR2 are the top ranked reported genes for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma. CDKN2A is reported in 1.1 % of the representative patients across all clinical trials. And CTNNA2 is reported in 0.5 %. The combined population patient data cover ages from 29 to 90. 53.9 % of the patient data are identified as men. The Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma biology along with reported genetics together define the population represented signature biochemical pathways for this cancer. If the individual cancer tumor genetics or genes contributing to the risk are also known then that should also be used for nutrition personalization.

NUTRITION CHOICES SHOULD MATCH WITH EACH INDIVIDUAL’S CANCER SIGNATURE.

Food and Supplements for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma

For Cancer Patients

Cancer patients on treatment or on palliative care need to make decisions on food and supplements – for the needed dietary calories, for managing any treatment side effects and also for improved cancer management. All plant-based foods are not equal and choosing and prioritizing foods which are personalized and customized to ongoing cancer treatment is important and complicated. Here are some examples providing guidelines for making nutrition decisions.

Choose Vegetable GLOBE ARTICHOKE or BROCCOLI?

Vegetable Globe Artichoke contains many active ingredients or bioactives such as Apigenin, Myricetin, Isoliquiritigenin, Luteolin, Curcumin. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like Cell Cycle, Inflammation, Focal Adhesion and MYC Signaling and others. Globe Artichoke is recommended for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma when ongoing cancer treatment is Paclitaxel. This is because Globe Artichoke modifies those biochemical pathways which have been scientifically reported to sensitize the effect of Paclitaxel.

Some of the active ingredients or bioactives in vegetable Broccoli are Quercetin, Isoliquiritigenin, Luteolin, Curcumin, Lupeol. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like WNT Beta Catenin Signaling, Focal Adhesion and PI3K-AKT-MTOR Signaling and others. Broccoli is not recommended for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma when ongoing cancer treatment is Paclitaxel because it modifies those biochemical pathways which make the cancer treatment resistant or less responsive.

VEGETABLE GLOBE ARTICHOKE IS RECOMMENDED OVER BROCCOLI FOR Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma AND TREATMENT Paclitaxel.

Choose Fruit POMEGRANATE or ACEROLA?

Fruit Pomegranate contains many active ingredients or bioactives such as Quercetin, Apigenin, Myricetin, Isoliquiritigenin, Luteolin. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like Cell Cycle, Adherens junction, TGFB Signaling and Microtubule Dynamics and others. Pomegranate is recommended for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma when ongoing cancer treatment is Paclitaxel. This is because Pomegranate modifies those biochemical pathways which have been scientifically reported to sensitize the effect of Paclitaxel.

Some of the active ingredients or bioactives in fruit Acerola are Quercetin, Apigenin, Myricetin, Isoliquiritigenin, Luteolin. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like TGFB Signaling, Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition and WNT Beta Catenin Signaling and others. Acerola is not recommended for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma when ongoing cancer treatment is Paclitaxel because it modifies those biochemical pathways which make the cancer treatment resistant or less responsive.

FRUIT POMEGRANATE IS RECOMMENDED OVER ACEROLA FOR Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma AND TREATMENT Paclitaxel.

Choose Nut BUTTERNUT or EUROPEAN CHESTNUT?

Butternut contains many active ingredients or bioactives such as Apigenin, Myricetin, Isoliquiritigenin, Luteolin, Curcumin. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like Cell Cycle, Adherens junction, Inflammation and Focal Adhesion and others. Butternut is recommended for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma when ongoing cancer treatment is Paclitaxel. This is because Butternut modifies those biochemical pathways which have been scientifically reported to sensitize the effect of Paclitaxel.

Some of the active ingredients or bioactives in European Chestnut are Quercetin, Apigenin, Myricetin, Isoliquiritigenin, Luteolin. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like TGFB Signaling, Epithelial to Mesenchymal Transition and WNT Beta Catenin Signaling and others. European Chestnut is not recommended for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma when ongoing cancer treatment is Paclitaxel because it modifies those biochemical pathways which make the cancer treatment resistant or less responsive.

BUTTERNUT IS RECOMMENDED OVER EUROPEAN CHESTNUT FOR Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma AND TREATMENT Paclitaxel.

For Individuals with Genetic Risk of Cancer

The question asked by individuals who have genetic risk of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma or familial history is “What Should I Eat Differently from Before?” and how they should choose foods and supplements to manage risks of the disease. Since for cancer risk there is nothing actionable in terms of treatment – decisions of foods and supplements become important and one of the very few actionable things which can be done. All plant-based foods are not equal and based on identified genetics and pathway signature – the choices of food and supplements should be personalized.

Choose Vegetable WILD CARROT or MOUNTAIN YAM?

Vegetable Wild Carrot contains many active ingredients or bioactives such as Apigenin, Curcumin, Lupeol, Daidzein, Quercetin. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like Cell Cycle, Adherens junction, MAPK Signaling and MYC Signaling and others. Wild Carrot is recommended for risk of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma when associated genetic risk is CDKN2A. This is because Wild Carrot increases those biochemical pathways which counteract the signature drivers of it.

Some of the active ingredients or bioactives in vegetable Mountain Yam are Apigenin, Curcumin, Lupeol, Daidzein, Lycopene. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like Extracellular Matrix Remodelling and Cell Cycle Checkpoints and others. Mountain Yam is not recommended when risk of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma when associated genetic risk is CDKN2A because it increases the signature pathways of it.

VEGETABLE WILD CARROT IS RECOMMENDED OVER MOUNTAIN YAM FOR CDKN2A GENETIC RISK OF CANCER.

Choose Fruit NANCE or LOGANBERRY?

Fruit Nance contains many active ingredients or bioactives such as Apigenin, Curcumin, Lupeol, Daidzein, Beta-sitosterol. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like Cell Cycle, Adherens junction, MAPK Signaling and MYC Signaling and others. Nance is recommended for risk of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma when associated genetic risk is CDKN2A. This is because Nance increases those biochemical pathways which counteract the signature drivers of it.

Some of the active ingredients or bioactives in fruit Loganberry are Apigenin, Curcumin, Lupeol, Daidzein, Beta-sitosterol. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like Cell Cycle and PI3K-AKT-MTOR Signaling and others. Loganberry is not recommended when risk of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma when associated genetic risk is CDKN2A because it increases the signature pathways of it.

FRUIT NANCE IS RECOMMENDED OVER LOGANBERRY FOR CDKN2A GENETIC RISK OF CANCER.

Choose Nut BLACK WALNUT or MACADAMIA NUT?

Black Walnut contains many active ingredients or bioactives such as Apigenin, Curcumin, Ellagic Acid, Lupeol, Daidzein. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like Cell Cycle, P53 Signaling, MAPK Signaling and Cell Cycle Checkpoints and others. Black Walnut is recommended for risk of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma when associated genetic risk is CDKN2A. This is because Black Walnut increases those biochemical pathways which counteract the signature drivers of it.

Some of the active ingredients or bioactives in Macadamia Nut are Apigenin, Curcumin, Lupeol, Daidzein, Beta-sitosterol. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like MAPK Signaling, Notch Signaling and PI3K-AKT-MTOR Signaling and others. Macadamia Nut is not recommended when risk of Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma when associated genetic risk is CDKN2A because it increases the signature pathways of it.

BLACK WALNUT IS RECOMMENDED OVER MACADAMIA NUT FOR CDKN2A GENETIC RISK OF CANCER.

In Conclusion

Foods and Supplements chosen are important decisions for cancers like Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma. Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma patients and individuals with genetic-risk always have this question: “What foods and nutritional supplements are recommended for me and which are not?” There is a common belief which is a misconception that all plant-based foods could be beneficial or not but would not be harmful. Certain foods and supplements can interfere with cancer treatments or promote molecular pathway drivers of cancer.

There are different types of cancer indications like Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma, each with different tumor genetics with further genomic variations across each individual. Further every cancer treatment and chemotherapy has a unique mechanism of action. Each food like Globe Artichoke contains various bioactives in different quantities, which have an impact on different and distinct sets of biochemical pathways. The definition of personalized nutrition is individualized food recommendations for the cancer indication, treatments, genetics, lifestyle and other factors. Nutrition personalization decisions for cancer require knowledge of cancer biology, food science and an understanding of different chemotherapy treatments. Finally when there are treatment changes or new genomics is identified – the nutrition personalization needs re-evaluation.

The addon nutrition personalization solution makes the decision making easy and removes all the guesswork in answering the question, “What foods should I choose or not choose for Pancreatic Adenocarcinoma?”. The addon multi-disciplinary team includes cancer physicians, clinical scientists, software engineers and data scientists.

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