Foods for Rhabdomyosarcoma!

Introduction

Foods for Rhabdomyosarcoma 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.

For Rhabdomyosarcoma 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 Rhabdomyosarcoma 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 Rhabdomyosarcoma?

For example does it matter if vegetable Bitter Gourd is consumed more compared to Radish? Does it make any difference if fruit Pummelo is preferred over Red Raspberry? Also if similar choices are made for nuts/seeds like Butternut over Chestnut and for pulses like Black-eyed Pea over Lima Bean. And if what I eat matters – then how does one identify foods which are recommended for Rhabdomyosarcoma and is it the same answer for everyone with the same diagnosis or genetic risk?

Yes! Foods you eat matters for Rhabdomyosarcoma!

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 Pummelo contains active ingredients Quercetin, Curcumin, Apigenin, Formononetin, Lupeol. And Red Raspberry contains active ingredients Quercetin, Curcumin, Ellagic Acid, Formononetin, Lupeol and possibly others.

A common mistake made when deciding and choosing foods to eat for Rhabdomyosarcoma – 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 Rhabdomyosarcoma.

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

Skills Needed for Nutrition Personalization for Rhabdomyosarcoma?

Personalized nutrition for cancers like Rhabdomyosarcoma 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 Rhabdomyosarcoma 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 Rhabdomyosarcoma

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

The treatments which are effective for Rhabdomyosarcoma 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 Rhabdomyosarcoma when taking cancer treatment Octreotide, 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.

NRAS, TP53, FBXW7, NF1 and PDGFRA are the top ranked reported genes for Rhabdomyosarcoma. NRAS is reported in 6.8 % of the representative patients across all clinical trials. And TP53 is reported in 6.8 %. The combined population patient data cover ages from 2 to 17. 62.9 % of the patient data are identified as men. The Rhabdomyosarcoma 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 Rhabdomyosarcoma

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 BITTER GOURD or RADISH?

Vegetable Bitter Gourd contains many active ingredients or bioactives such as Curcumin, Apigenin, Formononetin, Lupeol, Isoliquiritigenin. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like Cell Cycle, JAK-STAT Signaling, Angiogenesis and WNT Beta Catenin Signaling and others. Bitter Gourd is recommended for Rhabdomyosarcoma when ongoing cancer treatment is Octreotide. This is because Bitter Gourd modifies those biochemical pathways which have been scientifically reported to sensitize the effect of Octreotide.

Some of the active ingredients or bioactives in vegetable Radish are Quercetin, Curcumin, Apigenin, Formononetin, Lupeol. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like Cell Cycle and WNT Beta Catenin Signaling and others. Radish is not recommended for Rhabdomyosarcoma when ongoing cancer treatment is Octreotide because it modifies those biochemical pathways which make the cancer treatment resistant or less responsive.

VEGETABLE BITTER GOURD IS RECOMMENDED OVER RADISH FOR Rhabdomyosarcoma AND TREATMENT Octreotide.

Choose Fruit RED RASPBERRY or PUMMELO?

Fruit Red Raspberry contains many active ingredients or bioactives such as Quercetin, Curcumin, Ellagic Acid, Formononetin, Lupeol. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like Cell Cycle, Angiogenesis, WNT Beta Catenin Signaling and PI3K-AKT-MTOR Signaling and others. Red Raspberry is recommended for Rhabdomyosarcoma when ongoing cancer treatment is Octreotide. This is because Red Raspberry modifies those biochemical pathways which have been scientifically reported to sensitize the effect of Octreotide.

Some of the active ingredients or bioactives in fruit Pummelo are Quercetin, Curcumin, Apigenin, Formononetin, Lupeol. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like WNT Beta Catenin Signaling and others. Pummelo is not recommended for Rhabdomyosarcoma when ongoing cancer treatment is Octreotide because it modifies those biochemical pathways which make the cancer treatment resistant or less responsive.

FRUIT RED RASPBERRY IS RECOMMENDED OVER PUMMELO FOR Rhabdomyosarcoma AND TREATMENT Octreotide.

Choose Nut BUTTERNUT or CHESTNUT?

Butternut contains many active ingredients or bioactives such as Curcumin, Apigenin, Formononetin, Lupeol, Isoliquiritigenin. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like Cell Cycle, JAK-STAT Signaling, Angiogenesis and WNT Beta Catenin Signaling and others. Butternut is recommended for Rhabdomyosarcoma when ongoing cancer treatment is Octreotide. This is because Butternut modifies those biochemical pathways which have been scientifically reported to sensitize the effect of Octreotide.

Some of the active ingredients or bioactives in Chestnut are Curcumin, Ellagic Acid, Apigenin, Formononetin, Lupeol. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like WNT Beta Catenin Signaling and others. Chestnut is not recommended for Rhabdomyosarcoma when ongoing cancer treatment is Octreotide because it modifies those biochemical pathways which make the cancer treatment resistant or less responsive.

BUTTERNUT IS RECOMMENDED OVER CHESTNUT FOR Rhabdomyosarcoma AND TREATMENT Octreotide.

For Individuals with Genetic Risk of Cancer

The question asked by individuals who have genetic risk of Rhabdomyosarcoma 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 GIANT BUTTERBUR or MEXICAN GROUNDCHERRY?

Vegetable Giant Butterbur contains many active ingredients or bioactives such as Curcumin, Apigenin, Lupeol, Lycopene, Delphinidin. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like Cell Cycle, Stem Cell Signaling, P53 Signaling and MAPK Signaling and others. Giant Butterbur is recommended for risk of Rhabdomyosarcoma when associated genetic risk is FBXW7. This is because Giant Butterbur increases those biochemical pathways which counteract the signature drivers of it.

Some of the active ingredients or bioactives in vegetable Mexican Groundcherry are Curcumin, Apigenin, Lupeol, Delphinidin, Formononetin. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like Stem Cell Signaling and others. Mexican Groundcherry is not recommended when risk of Rhabdomyosarcoma when associated genetic risk is FBXW7 because it increases the signature pathways of it.

VEGETABLE GIANT BUTTERBUR IS RECOMMENDED OVER MEXICAN GROUNDCHERRY FOR FBXW7 GENETIC RISK OF CANCER.

Choose Fruit NANCE or SAPODILLA?

Fruit Nance contains many active ingredients or bioactives such as Curcumin, Apigenin, Lupeol, Delphinidin, Formononetin. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like Cell Cycle, Stem Cell Signaling, P53 Signaling and MAPK Signaling and others. Nance is recommended for risk of Rhabdomyosarcoma when associated genetic risk is FBXW7. This is because Nance increases those biochemical pathways which counteract the signature drivers of it.

Some of the active ingredients or bioactives in fruit Sapodilla are Curcumin, Apigenin, Lupeol, Lycopene, Delphinidin. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like Stem Cell Signaling and PI3K-AKT-MTOR Signaling and others. Sapodilla is not recommended when risk of Rhabdomyosarcoma when associated genetic risk is FBXW7 because it increases the signature pathways of it.

FRUIT NANCE IS RECOMMENDED OVER SAPODILLA FOR FBXW7 GENETIC RISK OF CANCER.

Choose Nut COMMON HAZELNUT or EUROPEAN CHESTNUT?

Common Hazelnut contains many active ingredients or bioactives such as Curcumin, Quercetin, Lupeol, Lycopene, Delphinidin. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like Cell Cycle, MAPK Signaling, P53 Signaling and Angiogenesis and others. Common Hazelnut is recommended for risk of Rhabdomyosarcoma when associated genetic risk is FBXW7. This is because Common Hazelnut increases those biochemical pathways which counteract the signature drivers of it.

Some of the active ingredients or bioactives in European Chestnut are Curcumin, Apigenin, Ellagic Acid, Quercetin, Lupeol. These active ingredients manipulate various biochemical pathways like Stem Cell Signaling and others. European Chestnut is not recommended when risk of Rhabdomyosarcoma when associated genetic risk is FBXW7 because it increases the signature pathways of it.

COMMON HAZELNUT IS RECOMMENDED OVER EUROPEAN CHESTNUT FOR FBXW7 GENETIC RISK OF CANCER.

In Conclusion

Foods and Supplements chosen are important decisions for cancers like Rhabdomyosarcoma. Rhabdomyosarcoma 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 Rhabdomyosarcoma, 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 Bitter Gourd 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 Rhabdomyosarcoma?”. The addon multi-disciplinary team includes cancer physicians, clinical scientists, software engineers and data scientists.

References

• Pediatric Dkfz 2017
• Comprehensive genomic analysis of rhabdomyosarcoma reveals a landscape of alterations affecting a common genetic axis in fusion-positive and fusion-negative tumors.
• Daidzein effect on hormone refractory prostate cancer in vitro and in vivo compared to genistein and soy extract: potentiation of radiotherapy.
• Effects and significance of formononetin on expression levels of HIF-1α and VEGF in mouse cervical cancer tissue.
• Negative regulation of signal transducer and activator of transcription-3 signalling cascade by lupeol inhibits growth and induces apoptosis in hepatocellular carcinoma cells.