Healthy eating: Could it help men with low-risk prostate cancer?

A healthy diet mainly comprised of fruits and vegetables offers many benefits, including a healthy heart. But could it also help slow the progression of low-risk prostate cancer in men on active surveillance programs?

That’s what cancer experts at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center hope to better understand. They are involved in the Men's Eating and Living (MEAL) Study, which compares how low-risk prostate cancer patients on active surveillance respond to a formal nutritional coaching program compared to printed educational materials.

The study is sponsored by CALGB, a cooperative group that is focused on better understanding cancer and potential emerging therapies that can improve outcomes for cancer patients.

“It is known that a healthy diet and maintaining a normal weight can help reduce the risk of developing some forms of cancer,” says Dr. Santosh Yajnik, a radiation oncologist and site principal investigator on the MEAL study at Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center. “However, there are many things that we do not currently know about how dietary changes impact patients who are already diagnosed with cancer.”

“The hope is that, through the dietary modifications in the CALGB MEAL study, we can keep cancer patients with prostate cancer in the low-risk category. We also hope that patients see many other benefits as a result of eating well, including better cardiovascular and metabolic health,” Dr. Yajnik adds.

One particular patient can attest to the many benefits of the MEAL study. In May 2015, Kevin Bailey underwent a needle biopsy, the results of which showed Gleason 6 cancer that was confined to a small part of the prostate. He was diagnosed with low-risk prostate cancer. Despite the recommendation of two urologists, Bailey wasn’t sure a prostatectomy, a procedure to remove the prostate, was right for him.

As an engineer, research and fact-finding is part of Bailey’s nature, so he took to the Internet hoping to find alternative treatment options. Eventually, he learned about the MEAL study and enrolled under the guidance and supervision of Dr. Yajnik.

More than two years later, Bailey is thrilled with how the study has impacted his life.

“Before I enrolled in the study, I was having some other medical issues, including migraines, acid reflux and high cholesterol. Then, I started the MEAL program where I worked with a nutrition counselor to rethink how I shop for and cook food,” Bailey says. “Magically, my acid reflux went away. I’ve never had another migraine. My cholesterol is down to normal.”

Best of all, Bailey’s prostate cancer has not progressed. He remains under active surveillance with Dr. Yajnik to closely monitor his prostate cancer.

While the recruitment for the clinical trial has closed, Illinois Masonic experts are eagerly awaiting the results of this important study to see if such dietary modification can be helpful in preventing progression of low-risk prostate cancer.

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About Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center
Advocate Illinois Masonic Medical Center is a 397-bed non-profit teaching hospital located in the Lake View neighborhood on Chicago's North Side. The medical center has a Level I Trauma Center and a Level III Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, the highest designations awarded by the state of Illinois, and offers comprehensive inpatient and outpatient care, including cardiovascular, oncology, digestive health and neurosciences services. A recipient of numerous awards for quality and clinical excellence, Advocate Illinois Masonic has achieved Magnet designation for excellence in nursing services from the American Nurses Credentialing Center. The medical center has also been named a Leader in LGBT Healthcare Equality by the Human Rights Campaign's Healthcare Equality Index. Advocate Illinois Masonic is part of Advocate Health Care, the largest fully integrated health system in Illinois. For more information, visit www.advocatehealth.com/masonic.