Nutrition Info/Links?

There was buzz earlier in the year about limiting Glutamine, which can fuel cancer cells. Here are some links you might take a look at.

Melanoma's addiction to glutamine is basis for cancer growth. Researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) have discovered that without a source of glutamine — one of the 20 amino acids used to build proteins — melanoma cells will stop proliferating and die. Their craving for glutamine stems from their ability to "abuse" this essential nutrient by using it as an additional source of carbon and energy. The findings present a rational basis for a treatment strategy that limits the supply of glutamine to tumors, potentially through nutritional interventions or inhibitors of glutamine uptake. The results of the study appear online in Oncotarget today.

Resistance to BRAF inhibitors induces glutamine dependency in melanoma cells. BRAF inhibitors can extend progression-free and overall survival in melanoma patients whose tumors harbor mutations in BRAF. However, the majority of patients eventually develop resistance to these drugs. Here we show that BRAF mutant melanoma cells that have developed acquired resistance to BRAF inhibitors display increased oxidative metabolism and increased dependency on mitochondria for survival. Intriguingly, the increased oxidative metabolism is associated with a switch from glucose to glutamine metabolism and an increased dependence on glutamine over glucose for proliferation. We show that the resistant cells are more sensitive to mitochondrial poisons and to inhibitors of glutaminolysis, suggesting that targeting specific metabolic pathways may offer exciting therapeutic opportunities to treat resistant tumors, or to delay emergence of resistance in the first-line setting.

Vemurafenib resistance reprograms melanoma cells towards glutamine dependence. Our study is a proof-of-concept for the potential of targeting glutamine metabolism as an alternative strategy to suppress acquired MAPKi-resistance in melanoma.

There was buzz earlier in the year about limiting Glutamine, which can fuel cancer cells. Here are some links you might take a look at.

Melanoma's addiction to glutamine is basis for cancer growth. Researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) have discovered that without a source of glutamine — one of the 20 amino acids used to build proteins — melanoma cells will stop proliferating and die. Their craving for glutamine stems from their ability to "abuse" this essential nutrient by using it as an additional source of carbon and energy. The findings present a rational basis for a treatment strategy that limits the supply of glutamine to tumors, potentially through nutritional interventions or inhibitors of glutamine uptake. The results of the study appear online in Oncotarget today.

Resistance to BRAF inhibitors induces glutamine dependency in melanoma cells. BRAF inhibitors can extend progression-free and overall survival in melanoma patients whose tumors harbor mutations in BRAF. However, the majority of patients eventually develop resistance to these drugs. Here we show that BRAF mutant melanoma cells that have developed acquired resistance to BRAF inhibitors display increased oxidative metabolism and increased dependency on mitochondria for survival. Intriguingly, the increased oxidative metabolism is associated with a switch from glucose to glutamine metabolism and an increased dependence on glutamine over glucose for proliferation. We show that the resistant cells are more sensitive to mitochondrial poisons and to inhibitors of glutaminolysis, suggesting that targeting specific metabolic pathways may offer exciting therapeutic opportunities to treat resistant tumors, or to delay emergence of resistance in the first-line setting.

Vemurafenib resistance reprograms melanoma cells towards glutamine dependence. Our study is a proof-of-concept for the potential of targeting glutamine metabolism as an alternative strategy to suppress acquired MAPKi-resistance in melanoma.

There was buzz earlier in the year about limiting Glutamine, which can fuel cancer cells. Here are some links you might take a look at.

Melanoma's addiction to glutamine is basis for cancer growth. Researchers at Sanford-Burnham Medical Research Institute (Sanford-Burnham) have discovered that without a source of glutamine — one of the 20 amino acids used to build proteins — melanoma cells will stop proliferating and die. Their craving for glutamine stems from their ability to "abuse" this essential nutrient by using it as an additional source of carbon and energy. The findings present a rational basis for a treatment strategy that limits the supply of glutamine to tumors, potentially through nutritional interventions or inhibitors of glutamine uptake. The results of the study appear online in Oncotarget today.

Resistance to BRAF inhibitors induces glutamine dependency in melanoma cells. BRAF inhibitors can extend progression-free and overall survival in melanoma patients whose tumors harbor mutations in BRAF. However, the majority of patients eventually develop resistance to these drugs. Here we show that BRAF mutant melanoma cells that have developed acquired resistance to BRAF inhibitors display increased oxidative metabolism and increased dependency on mitochondria for survival. Intriguingly, the increased oxidative metabolism is associated with a switch from glucose to glutamine metabolism and an increased dependence on glutamine over glucose for proliferation. We show that the resistant cells are more sensitive to mitochondrial poisons and to inhibitors of glutaminolysis, suggesting that targeting specific metabolic pathways may offer exciting therapeutic opportunities to treat resistant tumors, or to delay emergence of resistance in the first-line setting.

Vemurafenib resistance reprograms melanoma cells towards glutamine dependence. Our study is a proof-of-concept for the potential of targeting glutamine metabolism as an alternative strategy to suppress acquired MAPKi-resistance in melanoma.

Hi Christine,

I didn't make any changes for yervoy in 2011 nor opdivo/lirilumab 2014-current. I've been lucky, have not had any GI issues on these treatments. I get my fill of eat-out Thai, Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Mexican, Greasy Soon, and so forth food. I don't make smoothies though… just drink water at home.

Something interesting was in the news this last week. That anti-oxidants may help cancer metastasize. Cancer cells are said to be more susceptible to damage by oxidation than healthy cells. I believe that's part of how Gamma Knife works, one of the ways it can damage cells is oxidative stress. Anyway, there were a lot of articles in the last week about a new study, i.e.,

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2015/10/14/antioxidants-may-give-a-boost-to-cancer-cells-making-them-spread-faster-study-suggests/

While there seems to be a new study pushing us in one direction or another every week, it's possible berries might not be very healthy for some of us. I like my berries, too. Or liked.

Hi Christine,

I didn't make any changes for yervoy in 2011 nor opdivo/lirilumab 2014-current. I've been lucky, have not had any GI issues on these treatments. I get my fill of eat-out Thai, Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Mexican, Greasy Soon, and so forth food. I don't make smoothies though… just drink water at home.

Something interesting was in the news this last week. That anti-oxidants may help cancer metastasize. Cancer cells are said to be more susceptible to damage by oxidation than healthy cells. I believe that's part of how Gamma Knife works, one of the ways it can damage cells is oxidative stress. Anyway, there were a lot of articles in the last week about a new study, i.e.,

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2015/10/14/antioxidants-may-give-a-boost-to-cancer-cells-making-them-spread-faster-study-suggests/

While there seems to be a new study pushing us in one direction or another every week, it's possible berries might not be very healthy for some of us. I like my berries, too. Or liked.

Hi Christine,

I didn't make any changes for yervoy in 2011 nor opdivo/lirilumab 2014-current. I've been lucky, have not had any GI issues on these treatments. I get my fill of eat-out Thai, Indian, Japanese, Chinese, Mexican, Greasy Soon, and so forth food. I don't make smoothies though… just drink water at home.

Something interesting was in the news this last week. That anti-oxidants may help cancer metastasize. Cancer cells are said to be more susceptible to damage by oxidation than healthy cells. I believe that's part of how Gamma Knife works, one of the ways it can damage cells is oxidative stress. Anyway, there were a lot of articles in the last week about a new study, i.e.,

https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/to-your-health/wp/2015/10/14/antioxidants-may-give-a-boost-to-cancer-cells-making-them-spread-faster-study-suggests/

While there seems to be a new study pushing us in one direction or another every week, it's possible berries might not be very healthy for some of us. I like my berries, too. Or liked.