Press Pulse Cancer Therapy

Press-pulse cancer therapy is a novel therapeutic strategy proposed for the metabolic management of cancer. Here are the key points about this approach:

Core Concept

The press-pulse strategy is based on exploiting the metabolic vulnerabilities of cancer cells, particularly their reliance on glucose and glutamine for energy and growth[1][3].

Key Components

1. Press Disturbance: This creates chronic metabolic stress on tumor cell energy metabolism, typically through dietary interventions[1][3].

2. Pulse Disturbance: This involves acute metabolic stressors that restrict glucose and glutamine availability while stimulating cancer-specific oxidative stress[1][3].

Implementation

  • The main "press" component is often a calorie-restricted ketogenic diet (KD-R) to reduce glucose availability and elevate ketone bodies[1][3][4].

  • "Pulse" components may include:

  • Hyperbaric oxygen therapy

  • Metabolic drugs such as glutamine blockers and glucose substitures (such as 3-bromopyruvate (3BP) and 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2=DG))

  • Other interventions that create acute metabolic stress in cancer cells[7]

Proposed Mechanisms

1. Ketone bodies protect normal cells while further stressing cancer cells that lack metabolic flexibility[1][3].

2. Mitochondrial abnormalities and genetic mutations in tumor cells make them vulnerable to metabolic stress[1][3].

3. The combination of chronic and acute stressors aims to selectively target cancer cells while minimizing damage to normal cells[1][3].

Potential Advantages

  • Non-invasive

  • Potentially lower toxicity compared to conventional treatments

  • May be combined with other therapies[2]

Current Status

This approach is still largely theoretical and experimental. While some studies show promise, more research is needed to establish its efficacy and safety in clinical settings[6][8].

It's important to note that while this strategy has generated interest, it remains controversial and is not currently part of standard cancer care. Patients should always consult with their oncologists before considering any alternative or complementary cancer therapies.

Citations:

[1] https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/nutrition/articles/10.3389/fnut.2020.00021/full

[2] https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC5119968/

[3] https://nutritionandmetabolism.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12986-017-0178-2

[4] https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28250801/

[5] https://www.medical.ky/metabolic-therapy-cancer-care.html

[6] https://csn.cancer.org/discussion/314915/press-pulse-metabolic-strategy

[7] https://www.hippocratesresearchfoundation.org/general-5-1

[8] https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/Press-pulse:-a-novel-therapeutic-strategy-for-the-Seyfried-Yu/e0db22c32a137586fb1453a6fe46bb6071713f90

Research

Regardless of whether one believes cancer is genetic or metabolic in origin, all share the same metabolic consistencies, The Warburg Effect. and the Q Effect. Perhaps it is time to start therapies that target these commonalities?


Seyfried TN, Flores RE, Poff AM, et al. Cancer as a metabolic disease: implications for novel therapeutics. Carcinogenesis. 2014;35(3):515–527.

kherjee P, Augur ZM, Li M, et al. Therapeutic benefit of combining calorie-restricted ketogenic diet and glutamine targeting in late-stage experimental glioblastoma. Commun. Biol. 2019;2(1):200.


Elsakka AMA, Bary MA, Abdelzaher E, et al. Management of Glioblastoma Multiforme in a Patient Treated With Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy and Modified Standard of Care: A 24-Month Follow-Up. Front. Nutr. 2018;5:20.


Phillips MCL, Murtagh DKJ, Sinha SK, et al. Managing Metastatic Thymoma With Metabolic and Medical Therapy: A Case Report. Front. Oncol. 2020;10:578.

Seyfried TN, Mukherjee P, Iyikesici MS, et al. Consideration of Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy as a Complementary or Alternative Approach for Managing Breast Cancer. Front. Nutr. 2020;7:21.


Seyfried TN, Shelton L, Arismendi-Morillo G, et al. Provocative Question: Should Ketogenic Metabolic Therapy Become the Standard of Care for Glioblastoma? Neurochem. Res. 2019;44(10):2392–2404.


İyikesici MS, Slocum AK, Slocum A, et al. Efficacy of Metabolically Supported Chemotherapy Combined with Ketogenic Diet, Hyperthermia, and Hyperbaric Oxygen Therapy for Stage IV Triple-Negative Breast Cancer. Cureus. 2017;9(7):e1445.