Cancer Stem Cells and Recurrence Prevention

Supporting your recovery through cancer treatment is only half of the journey. Once treatment is complete we then need to shift our attention towards long-term recurrence prevention. This is a very important stage in the cancer journey and one in which conventional medicine has little to offer other than monitor and hope for the best.

The risk of cancer recurrence varies a lot depending on the type and stage of cancer at diagnosis plus what treatment was received, however we do know that virtually everyone who has gone through a cancer journey has some risk for recurrence…especially during the first 5 years post-treatment. We also know that some cancers, like brain, ovarian, and bladder cancer, tend to recur more frequently. You can see more recurrence statistics here if you’re interested.

In order to lower these risks as much as possible, and reduce the chance of forming a new cancer, we must look at recurrence prevention from a holistic and functional lens. This means making sure we’ve assessed your unique risk factors for recurrence, like I discuss here and here. Optimizing not only your diet but your lifestyle practices and self-care habits as well. AND adding in strategies that will help kill cancer stem cells.

What are Cancer Stem Cells?

Cancer stem cells are a small sub-population of cells found inside of tumors with the ability to self-renew, differentiate, and create new cancer cells. These cells are thought to be responsible for most metastasis and relapses and are (unfortunately) resistant to chemotherapy and radiation. A theory for why this happens is that generally these treatments target fast growing cells, which might leave the slow cycling stem cells untouched.

You can read more about Cancer Stem Cells here: 1, 2, 3, 4

Researchers are actively working on new treatments that will better target these cells but while we wait for those to be available there is still much you can do. Many foods, nutrients, & lifestyle practices have been shown to kill cancer stem cells. Let’s take a look at some of those strategies now.

Foods & Nutrients that Target Cancer Stem Cells

There is no medicine yet that can kill cancer stem cells, but food is a great way to help get the job done. There are many phytonutrients that are currently being studied for their suppressive effects on cancer stem cells with promising results.

Here’s a list of my Top 10 based on the research available so far. I definitely suggest that you mix these into your anticancer diet as often as possible and if you’re actively fighting cancer then aim to get all of these in ideally every day.

1. EGCG: found in green & matcha teas
2. Curcumin: found in turmeric
3. Quercetin: found in apples, peppers, red onions, grapes, & capers
4. Genistein: found in soy foods
5. Luteolin: found in celery, oregano, & thyme
6. Sulforaphane: found in cruciferous veggies (especially broccoli sprouts – click here to learn how to sprout them at home) & alliums (like garlic & onions)
7. Resveratrol: found in red grapes, cocoa, & berries (especially cranberries & blueberries)
8. 6-Gingerol: found in fresh & dried ginger
9. Anthocyanins: found in berries, cherries, & purple cabbage
10. Lycopene: found in tomatoes, grapefruit, & watermelon

If you’d like to read more about how to design an ideal anticancer diet, then I invite you to head here & here.

Lifestyle Habits that Target Cancer Stem Cells

Now in addition to your diet, there are a few lifestyle practices that have also been shown to help target cancer stem cells. There are several different mechanisms at play but the ones that seem to surface the most include down-regulating mTOR activity & activating autophagy. Here are my Top 3 strategies to add to your routine.

1. Fasting & Calorie Restriction– shows the most promise for preventing normal & healthy stem cells from being genetically mutated into cancer stem cells. As you know from my previous posts on “Fasting” this just adds on to the incredible list of benefits available to us with this practice. If you are new to this strategy, I suggest starting by aiming for an overnight fast of 13-14 hours and then gradually work on extending this to longer stretches. I recommend to all of my clients that they plan a seasonal 5-Day Modified Fast four times a year to help keep cancer cells at bay; which we do together as a group inside the Holistic Cancer Collective. You can read more about fasting here & here.
2. Exercise– is another tool that can help down-regulate mTOR and suppress cancer stem cells. Much like fasting, this just adds on to a long-list of benefits that come with regular exercise. You can read more about the cancer-specific benefits of exercise here.
3. Heat Therapy- yet another tool that can help kill cancer stem cells is exposure to high temperatures. This can be done most easily with an infrared sauna but can also happen with exercise (especially in hot temperatures). Like the other two strategies listed, heat therapy activates a system in our body known as hormesis. You can read more about how to optimize healing & prevent cancer with hormetic stress here.

And if you’d like to dive deeper into the research behind all of this, you can read more about Food, Nutrients, Lifestyle, & Cancer Stem Cells here: 1, 2, 3, 4

Take The First Step 

Cancer stem cells are an important piece to the cancer puzzle, especially when you’re doing everything you can to reduce your risks for recurrence or cancer spread. If you have cancer, or have ever had it, your priority should be to add in strategies that will help to kill these cells.

As you learned above you can make choices every day that will help you target these cells and suppress their function or evolution. Make it a goal to add in as many of the nutrients listed as possible every day plus bring in exercise, heat therapy, and intermittent & extended fasting.

At Ground & Root Cancer Nutrition we approach healing & health in a holistic way. And when it comes to cancer, it’s imperative that we utilize all of the tools we have available. By optimizing your diet, lifestyle, & self-care while also diving deeper into your root causes & unique genetics we can customize a plan that will take you way beyond the standard cancer guidelines.

If you’d like to receive more guidance & clarity around how to create a plan that will help target your specific cancer stem cells, plus other supplements or integrative therapies that can help in your recovery & long-term prevention plan, then I invite you to schedule a Strategy Session. During this free 20-minute call you’ll get to share more about what’s going on for you and we’ll discuss how we might best be able to support you through your healing journey. I look forward to connecting and seeing how we can accelerate your recovery.