Special diet to support cancer therapy in children

(CONNECT) A research team from the University of Zurich(UZH) and the University Children's Hospital is working on new therapies for malignant tumors of the child's nervous system, so-called neuroblastomas. According to a press release, these therapies are designed not only to stop the growth of tumor cells, but also to convert them into healthy nerve cells.

At the heart of the new therapeutic approach is the combination of the drug difluoromethylornithine (DFMO), which has recently been approved in Switzerland, with a special diet in which the administration of the amino acids arginine and proline is deliberately avoided. DFMO inhibits the production of polyamines, which are an important growth factor for neuroblastomas. The diet supports this inhibitory function.

"We have discovered that the effectiveness of DFMO in mice can be more than doubled if a targeted, arginine- and proline-free diet is used at the same time under controlled conditions," research leader Raphael Morscher is quoted as saying in the press release. "The diet enhances the effect of the drug, as it also inhibits the formation of polyamine precursors."

Instead of uncontrolled growth of the tumor cells, the treatment stimulates their maturation and transformation into more mature nerve cells. In a next step, the researchers want to test the clinical application in collaboration with international partners. The diet should be replaced with an appropriate enzyme. The aim is to provide affected children with a new and gentler treatment. The results were recently published in the scientific journal "Nature". ce/ww