Diet taboos for early stage lung cancer

The core dietary taboos for patients with early-stage lung cancer can be summarized as three categories that must not be touched, category 1 should be avoided as needed, and most of the other "taboo requirements" spread online do not have clear evidence-based basis and do not need to be followed blindly.

Let me start by saying that what is absolutely untouchable is a category of carcinogens listed by the World Health Organization, and there is no controversy whatsoever. For example, moldy nuts, leftovers that have been left for several days, and spotty sweet potatoes that the elderly at home are reluctant to throw away. The aflatoxins and nitrosamines in them can directly damage cell DNA. Originally, early-stage lung cancer requires a stable physical environment after surgery. Contact with these is equivalent to increasing the risk of recurrence. There are also smoked and pickled processed meats. Many family members feel that the patients need to recuperate after surgery, so they specially bring cured fish and smoked sausages to visit them. In fact, the carcinogens in these foods have been proven to be related to the occurrence and development of various malignant tumors. Just after the surgery, when the mucosal barrier is still weak, they should avoid it when they can. I met an old patient during a follow-up visit at the thoracic surgery department two years ago. He was recovering well after the operation. However, he ate half a piece of smoked pig face given by his son because he was greedy. He had diarrhea for three days and his inflammation index soared during the follow-up examination. He had to undergo a lot of extra examinations in vain.

After talking about what is definitely harmful, let’s talk about the most frequently asked and controversial issue of “fabrication”. There is indeed a saying in traditional Chinese medicine theory that "foods should be avoided after surgery". It is believed that foods such as shrimps, crabs, beef, mutton, and roosters will aggravate the inflammatory reaction and affect wound healing. However, modern clinical research has not found that such foods are directly related to the recurrence of early lung cancer and delayed wound healing. On the contrary, insufficient protein intake caused by blind taboos is one of the most common reasons for slow recovery after surgery. There used to be a 62-year-old aunt with early-stage lung adenocarcinoma. She heard from neighbors in the community that eggs and milk were "hairy things" and she couldn't eat them. She even drank white porridge with pickles for half a month. When she was reexamined, her albumin was only 29g/L, and she couldn't remove the wound sutures. Finally, she needed to lose albumin for three days before she recovered. To put it bluntly, as long as you are not allergic to these things before and do not feel uncomfortable after eating them, you can eat them normally and have enough high-quality protein, so that the wound can grow well and your immunity can keep up.

There is another category that should be avoided as needed in conjunction with the treatment you are doing, and not everyone should avoid it. For example, patients who are taking targeted drugs should really stay away from grapefruit, carambola, and Seville oranges. The furanocoumarins in them will inhibit the CYP3A4 enzyme that metabolizes drugs in the liver, causing the blood drug concentration to double and rise. In mild cases, it can cause rashes and edema, and in severe cases, it can damage the liver and kidneys. I met a patient in his 40s before who took Osimertinib with a glass of grapefruit juice every day to supplement vitamin C. After two weeks of taking Osimertinib, his legs began to swell to the point where he could not wear socks. The drug concentration was more than twice the normal level. After stopping the grapefruit juice for more than half a month, it slowly decreased. If you are undergoing chemotherapy and the gastrointestinal mucosa is already fragile, don't deliberately touch spicy food such as hot pot or iced watermelon just taken out of the refrigerator. Nausea and oral ulcers are easily caused by chemotherapy. Eating these will make your suffering worse.

As for the "no sweets, no seafood, no soy products" that's so popular on the Internet, it's really not that particular. There are also many family members who are willing to buy expensive health products such as Cordyceps sinensis and Ganoderma spore powder for patients, claiming they can fight cancer. Currently, there is no large-scale clinical data to prove that these products can reduce the risk of recurrence of early-stage lung cancer. Instead, some unqualified three-no health products contain unknown ingredients. I have met more than one patient who had to suspend adjuvant treatment because of elevated transaminases.

In fact, the prognosis of early-stage lung cancer is mostly very good, with a 5-year survival rate of over 90%. There is really no need to put heavy shackles on oneself in terms of diet. As long as you avoid those that are clearly harmful, adjust according to your own treatment situation and taste, eat whatever you want, eat happily, keep your weight stable, and have enough nutrition, it will work better than any expensive supplements.~