Undesirable Outcomes of Starvation Therapy of Cancer Require Special Attention

Abstract

Nutritional starvation is a growing area of research into development of cancer therapy. Within the vast amount of positive research findings in starvation trials, there have been weaknesses in some of the systems utilized. Because such weaknesses are taken as adverse points that must be well-thought-out and avoided, such negative effects have been sought from the literature and presented in this work. This mini-review can then be a suitable guide for researchers and clinicians to either avoid situations where the growth of certain cancer cells is enhanced by certain forms or modes of starvation, or their metastatic abilities are boosted. The intra- and extra-cellular mechanisms associated with these cellular enhancements have been demonstrated. Some negative interactions of starvation with chemotherapy have also been included. The understanding of these mechanisms can help avoid them for better future experimental and clinical results and may, at the same time, open new avenues for research workers to find ways of dismantling them.