Clinical trial · Interventional
Whey Protein Supplementation in Cancer Patients
Whey Protein Supplementation in Malnourished Cancer Patients: a Randomized, Controlled Trial
- Source
- ClinicalTrials.gov
- Retrieved
- Sep 8, 2026
- Layer
- normalized (units and labels harmonized; values unchanged)
- Run
- ING-CLINICALTRIALS-20260908-000001
Summary
Brief summary (as posted)
Nutritional derangements are very common in cancer patients and negatively affect survival, morbidity and quality of life. Intervention trials have demonstrated that nutritional counseling can improve energy balance, nutritional status and quality of life in patients undergoing chemo-radiotherapy. Oxidative stress plays a role in the tumor-cytotoxic effect of cancer chemotherapy and radiotherapy but may also play a role therapy-related adverse events such as an impairment of nutritional status and quality of life. The nutritional properties of whey protein have recently raised attention. In view of the high content in cysteine these proteins can positively stimulate the synthesis of glutathione which, in turn, could contribute to the modulation of whole-body and cellular redox state. However, evidence on the role of this dietary intervention in cancer patients is limited.
Conditions
Conditions (1)
Free-text conditions as registered, with the CancerIndex entity they were reconciled to and the match type.
| Condition (as posted) | Mapped entity | Match | Confidence |
|---|---|---|---|
| Solid Tumors | Solid Neoplasm | CURATED_BROADER | 0.80 |
Interventions
Interventions (2)
| Intervention | Type | Mapped drug | Match |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nutritional counseling | Other | — | UNRESOLVED |
| Whey protein | Dietary Supplement | — | UNRESOLVED |
Design
Arms and outcomes
Arms (2)
- type
- EXPERIMENTAL
- label
- Whey protein
- description
- Nutritional counseling + 20 g (2 x 10 g) of whey proteins (Prother® - Spepharm Italy)
- interventionNames
- Dietary Supplement: Whey protein
- type
- ACTIVE_COMPARATOR
- label
- Nutritional counseling
- description
- Nutritional counseling
- interventionNames
- Other: Nutritional counseling
Primary outcomes (1)
- measure
- Body composition
- timeFrame
- 3 months
- description
Eligibility
Eligibility (as posted)
- Sex
- All
- Minimum age
- 18 Years
Show eligibility criteria text
Inclusion Criteria: * Cancer patients (lung, gastric, pancreatic, breast, colon, esophageal) * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≤ 2 * Weight loss \>= 10% in the last 6 months * Chemotherapy * Written informed consent Exclusion Criteria: * Age \< 18 years * Ongoing artificial nutrition (enteral or parenteral) * Unavailability to planned measurements
References
Publications (5)
- BACKGROUNDLangius JA, Zandbergen MC, Eerenstein SE, van Tulder MW, Leemans CR, Kramer MH, Weijs PJ. Effect of nutritional interventions on nutritional status, quality of life and mortality in patients with head and neck cancer receiving (chemo)radiotherapy: a systematic review. Clin Nutr. 2013 Oct;32(5):671-8. doi: 10.1016/j.clnu.2013.06.012. Epub 2013 Jun 26. PMID 23845384
- BACKGROUNDBaldwin C, Spiro A, Ahern R, Emery PW. Oral nutritional interventions in malnourished patients with cancer: a systematic review and meta-analysis. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2012 Mar 7;104(5):371-85. doi: 10.1093/jnci/djr556. Epub 2012 Feb 15. PMID 22345712
- BACKGROUNDBounous G. Whey protein concentrate (WPC) and glutathione modulation in cancer treatment. Anticancer Res. 2000 Nov-Dec;20(6C):4785-92. PMID 11205219
- BACKGROUNDTozer RG, Tai P, Falconer W, Ducruet T, Karabadjian A, Bounous G, Molson JH, Droge W. Cysteine-rich protein reverses weight loss in lung cancer patients receiving chemotherapy or radiotherapy. Antioxid Redox Signal. 2008 Feb;10(2):395-402. doi: 10.1089/ars.2007.1919. PMID 18158761
- DERIVEDCereda E, Turri A, Klersy C, Cappello S, Ferrari A, Filippi AR, Brugnatelli S, Caraccia M, Chiellino S, Borioli V, Monaco T, Stella GM, Arcaini L, Benazzo M, Grugnetti G, Pedrazzoli P, Caccialanza R. Whey protein isolate supplementation improves body composition, muscle strength, and treatment tolerance in malnourished advanced cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy. Cancer Med. 2019 Nov;8(16):6923-6932. doi: 10.1002/cam4.2517. Epub 2019 Sep 30. PMID 31568698