Scientific Publications: Fasting-Mimicking Diet, Fasting and Oncology

The following collection gathers the main scientific publications on the relationship between fasting, fasting-mimicking diet and oncology. The studies cover efficacy in combination with chemotherapy, the impact on the immune system, and quality of life in cancer patients.

2026

Nature / 2026
Padrão A.I. et al. — Fasting boosts breast cancer therapy efficacy via glucocorticoid receptor activation. Nature, 649(8098):1013-1021, 2026.↗

2025

Annals of Oncology / 2025
Provenzano L. et al. — Fasting-mimicking diet in the metabolic treatment of breast cancer: preclinical and clinical evidence. Ann Oncol, 2025.↗

Cell Metabolism / 2025
Ligorio F. et al. — Early downmodulation of tumor glycolysis predicts response to fasting-mimicking diet in triple-negative breast cancer patients. Cell Metab, 37(2):330-344, 2025.↗

Scientific Reports / 2025
Castagnoli L. et al. — Identification of new selective CD36 inhibitors to potentiate HER2-targeted therapy in HER2-positive breast cancer. Sci Rep, 15:28709, 2025.↗

Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research / 2025
Castagnoli L. et al. — CD36 enrichment in HER2-positive mesenchymal stem cells drives therapy refractoriness in breast cancer. J Exp Clin Cancer Res, 44:19, 2025.↗

Journal of Experimental & Clinical Cancer Research / 2025
Castagnoli L. et al. — Correction: CD36 enrichment in HER2-positive mesenchymal stem cells drives therapy refractoriness in breast cancer. J Exp Clin Cancer Res, 44:165, 2025.↗

Drug Resistance Updates / 2025
Brandhorst S., Longo V.D. — Fasting-mimicking diet potentiates anti-tumor effects of CDK4/6 inhibitors against breast cancer by suppressing NRAS- and IGF1-mediated mTORC1 signaling. Drug Resist Updat, 78:101182, 2025.↗

2024

International Journal of Cancer / 2024
Ligorio F. et al. — Adding fasting-mimicking diet to first-line carboplatin-based chemotherapy is associated with better overall survival in advanced triple-negative breast cancer patients. Int J Cancer, 154(1):114-123, 2024.↗

Cancer Research / 2024
Raucci F. et al. — Cyclic fasting-mimicking diet plus bortezomib and rituximab is an effective treatment for chronic lymphocytic leukemia. Cancer Res, 84(7):1133-1148, 2024.↗

Endocrine-Related Cancer / 2024
Fanti M. et al. — Nutrition, GH-IGF-1 and cancer: clinical and therapeutic implications. Endocr Relat Cancer, 2024.↗

Biomedical Journal / 2024
Mirisola M.G. et al. — Inactivation of Ymr1, Sjl2/3 phosphatases promotes stress resistance and longevity in wild type and Ras2G19V yeast. Biomed J, 47(2):100694, 2024.↗

2022

European Journal of Cancer / 2022
Ligorio F. et al. — Exceptional tumour responses to fasting-mimicking diet combined with standard anticancer therapies: a sub-analysis of the NCT03340935 trial. Eur J Cancer, 172:300-310, 2022.↗

Cell Reports / 2022
Cortellino S. et al. — Fasting renders immunotherapy effective against low-immunogenic breast cancer while reducing side effects. Cell Rep, 40(8):111256, 2022.↗

Cancer Discovery / 2022
Vernieri C. et al. — Fasting-mimicking diet is safe and reshapes metabolism and antitumor immunity in patients with cancer. Cancer Discov, 12(1):90-107, 2022.↗

Prostate Cancer and Prostatic Diseases / 2022
Fay-Watt V. et al. — The impact of a fasting-mimicking diet on the metabolic health of patients with prostate cancer: a pilot implementation study. Prostate Cancer Prostatic Dis, 26:317-322, 2023.↗

2021

Cancers / 2021
Valdemarin F. et al. — Safety and feasibility of fasting-mimicking diet and effects on nutritional status in cancer patients undergoing active treatment. Cancers, 13(16):4013, 2021.↗

Breast Cancer Research and Treatment / 2021
Lugtenberg R.T. et al. — Quality of life and illness perceptions in patients with breast cancer using a fasting-mimicking diet as an adjunct to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in the phase 2 DIRECT trial. Breast Cancer Res Treat, 185(3):741-758, 2021.↗

2020

Nature / 2020
Caffa I. et al. — Fasting-mimicking diet and hormone therapy induce breast cancer regression. Nature, 583(7817):620-624, 2020.↗

Nature Communications / 2020
de Groot S. et al. — Fasting-mimicking diet as an adjunct to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer in the multicentre randomized phase 2 DIRECT trial. Nat Commun, 11(1):3083, 2020.↗

Nature Communications / 2020
Di Tano M. et al. — Synergistic effect of fasting-mimicking diet and vitamin C against KRAS mutated cancers. Nat Commun, 11(1):2332, 2020.↗

Nature Communications / 2020
Vernieri C. et al. — Fasting-mimicking diet plus chemotherapy in breast cancer treatment. Nat Commun, 11(1):4274, 2020.↗

2018

Nature Reviews Cancer / 2018
Nencioni A. et al. — Fasting and cancer: molecular mechanisms and clinical application. Nat Rev Cancer, 18(11):707-719, 2018.↗

BMC Cancer / 2018
Bauersfeld S.P. et al. — The effects of short-term fasting on quality of life and tolerance to chemotherapy in patients with breast and ovarian cancer: a randomized cross-over pilot study. BMC Cancer, 2018.↗

JOP — Journal of the Pancreas / 2018
Iyikesici M.S. — Long-term outcomes of the treatment of unresectable ductal pancreatic adenocarcinoma using metabolically supported chemotherapy (MSCT). JOP, 2018.↗

Trends in Endocrinology & Metabolism / 2018
Buono R., Longo V.D. — Starvation, stress resistance, and cancer. Trends Endocrinol Metab, 29(4):271-280, 2018.↗

2017

Science Translational Medicine / 2017
Wei M. et al. — Fasting-mimicking diet and markers/risk factors for aging, diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease. Sci Transl Med, 9(377):eaai8700, 2017.↗

Scientific Reports / 2017
Lee D. et al. — Effects of prolonged GRP78 haploinsufficiency on organ homeostasis, behavior, cancer and chemotoxic resistance in aged mice. Sci Rep, 2017.↗

PLOS Biology / 2017
Di Biase S. et al. — Fasting regulates EGR1 and protects from glucose- and dexamethasone-dependent sensitization to chemotherapy. PLoS Biol, 2017.↗

Elsevier / 2017
Brandhorst S. et al. — Protective effects of short-term dietary restriction in surgical stress and chemotherapy. Elsevier, 2017.↗

2016

AACR / 2016
— Targeting cancer metabolism: dietary and pharmacologic interventions. AACR, 2016.↗

BMC Cancer / 2016
Dorff T.B. et al. — Safety and feasibility of fasting in combination with platinum-based chemotherapy. BMC Cancer, 2016.↗

Cancer Cell / 2016
Di Biase S. et al. — Fasting-mimicking diet reduces HO-1 to promote T cell-mediated tumor cytotoxicity. Cancer Cell, 2016.↗

Elsevier / 2016
Balasubramanian P. et al. — Growth factors, aging and age-related diseases. Elsevier, 2016.↗

2015

BMC Cancer / 2015
de Groot S. et al. — The effects of short-term fasting on tolerance to neoadjuvant chemotherapy in HER2-negative breast cancer patients: a randomized pilot study. BMC Cancer, 2015.↗

Oncotarget / 2015
Caffa I. et al. — Fasting potentiates the anticancer activity of tyrosine kinase inhibitors by strengthening MAPK signaling inhibition. Oncotarget, 2015.↗

Oncotarget / 2015
Bianchi G. et al. — Fasting induces an anti-Warburg effect that increases respiration but reduces ATP synthesis to promote apoptosis in colon cancer models. Oncotarget, 2015.↗

2013

Experimental Gerontology / 2013
Sebastian C. et al. — Short-term calorie and protein restriction provide partial protection from chemotoxicity but do not delay glioma progression. Exp Gerontol, 2013.↗

2012

Science Translational Medicine / 2012
Lee C. et al. — Fasting cycles retard growth of tumors and sensitize a range of cancer cell types to chemotherapy. Sci Transl Med, 2012.↗

Drug Resistance Updates / 2012
Lee C. et al. — Starvation, detoxification, and multi-drug resistance in cancer therapy. Drug Resist Updat, 2012.↗

PLOS One / 2012
Safdie F. et al. — Fasting enhances the response of glioma to chemo- and radiotherapy. PLoS ONE, 2012.↗

2011

Oncogene / 2011
Lee C., Longo V.D. — Fasting vs dietary restriction in cellular protection and cancer treatment: from model organisms to patients. Oncogene, 2011.↗

2010

Cancer Research / 2010
— Reduced levels of IGF-I mediate differential protection of normal and cancer cells in response to fasting and improve the chemotherapeutic index. Cancer Res, 2010.↗

2009

Aging / 2009
— Fasting and cancer treatment in humans: a case series report. Aging, 2009.↗

2008

PNAS / 2008
Raffaghello L. et al. — Starvation-dependent differential stress resistance protects normal but not cancer cells against high-dose chemotherapy. PNAS, 2008.↗

Nature Reviews Cancer / 2008
Longo V.D. — Turning anti-aging genes against cancer. Nat Rev Cancer, 2008.↗

Journal of Cell Biology / 2008
Madia F. et al. — Longevity mutation in SCH9 prevents recombination errors and premature genomic instability in a Werner/Bloom model system. J Cell Biol, 2008.↗

2007

Mechanisms of Ageing and Development / 2007
— A simple model system for age-dependent DNA damage and cancer. Mech Ageing Dev, 2007.↗

2006

Biochimica et Biophysica Acta / 2006
Longo V.D. et al. — Sirtuins in aging and age-related disease. Biochim Biophys Acta, 2006.↗

2005

Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences / 2005
Skulachev V.P., Longo V.D. — Aging as a mitochondria-mediated atavistic program: can aging be switched off? Ann NY Acad Sci, 1057:145-64, 2005.↗

2002

Journal of the National Cancer Institute / 2022
Ligorio F. et al. — Predictive role of CD36 expression in HER2-positive breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant trastuzumab. J Natl Cancer Inst, 114(12):1720-1727, 2022.↗

1997

Journal of Cell Biology / 1997
— Human Bcl-2 reverses survival defects in yeast lacking superoxide dismutase and delays death of wild-type yeast. J Cell Biol, 1997.↗

Publications are listed in reverse chronological order. Links lead to original articles on PubMed or archived PDFs.