Glioma is a tumor that originates from glial cells in brain tissue, and as the most common malignant tumor in the skull, it accounts for about 50% of all intracranial tumors.
Glioma has the following characteristics.
1. The boundary is unclear, and grows like the root filaments of tree roots with open teeth and claws
2. The most frequent attackers are energetic gay men
3. The etiology is unclear: multiple genetic mutations, tumor stem cell theory, etc.
As a result, the incidence of glioma is relatively high, and it is difficult to achieve exact results in treatment. So what is good for glioma patients to eat becomes an important issue in the dietary care of many patients and their families. Food can not only provide patients with their own source of nutrition, but some foods can also inhibit tumor growth without affecting the body’s nutritional supply. So, what is good for glioma patients to eat in order to have a good treatment effect? First, let us understand the treatment of glioma so that we can cooperate with it in terms of diet.
Conventional treatment of glioma
1.Surgical treatment. It usually includes radical surgery, palliative surgery and exploratory surgery. Radical surgery is suitable for patients with limited tumor scope, no distant metastasis and good physical condition. Palliative surgery is to remove only part of the tumor or to perform some symptom relief surgery. Exploratory surgery refers to surgery that requires opening the chest, abdomen or skull to examine the shape of the mass, distinguish its nature with the naked eye or take a small piece of biopsy for quick frozen section to determine the treatment plan. Because of its unclear boundary, only a small number of patients can receive palliative surgery; for most patients, surgery is not the first choice.
2.Radiotherapy. Radiotherapy is suitable for patients with grade 2 glioma over 45 years old who have clear residuals after surgery; or patients with grade 3 or 4 glioma. For patients with grade 2 glioma under 45 years old, we can still take a wait-and-see attitude even without total excision. 21st century, there is no evidence that whole brain radiotherapy can bring longer survival and better quality of life to patients with malignant glioma. So radiotherapy is given at a total dose of 60Gy and local expanded irradiation is sufficient. For patients with very poor scores, palliative radiotherapy is also possible (40 Gy, 15 doses). For glioma patients under 45 years old with total sarcoidosis, follow-up observation is recommended without radiotherapy and chemotherapy.
3. Chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is suitable for patients with recurrent grade II glioma, and postoperative treatment for patients with grade III and IV glioma. There are many options available, and temozolomide is an optimal choice, even with positive MGMT. But it is expensive! And chemotherapy is a systemic treatment technique designed to poison the tumor cells to death. Blood cells and other rapidly proliferating tissues are also poisoned together with the ability to regenerate, thankfully, so chemotherapy also continues to exist after chemotherapy for our enemy glioma cells because we don’t dare to have too high a dose and because not all tumor cells can eat the poison.
We also know that the combined purpose of radiotherapy and chemotherapy is to prolong the life of the patient. Sometimes we have to be more aware of ourselves: do we need quality survival or just survival.
So how can we eat to “live with the tumor”?
What to eat for glioma patients
Experts point out that glioma patients can eat according to the following conditions, which can play an important supporting role in the treatment of glioma patients.
1.Common anti-cancer foods. Phytonutrients in many common foods have been found to promote the death of brain tumor cells in in vitro cell culture. These foods include: elemicin (ginger), rhodopsin and limonene (citrus peel), catechin (green tea) and anthocyanins or anthocyanosides (lingonberry and North American sago). Ginsenoside Rh2 (ginseng) and lignans (soybean) show various inhibitory effects on brain tumors, including synergistic inhibition of tumor cell growth with chemotherapy.
2.Foods with protective effect on intracranial blood vessels: celery, capers, chrysanthemum brain, wild rice, sunflower seeds, kelp, jellyfish, oyster, clam.
3, with the role of the prevention of intracranial hypertension food: corn beans, adzuki beans, walnuts, nori, carp, duck, Ulva, kelp, crab, clams.
4, with the protection of vision food: chrysanthemum, marjoram, shepherd’s purse, lamb liver, pig liver, eel.
5.Foods with protection against side effects of chemotherapy and efficacy therapy: shiitake mushroom, silver fungus, black fungus, yellow cauliflower, walnut, sesame, sunflower seed, kiwi, sheep blood, pig blood, goose blood, chicken blood, lotus seed, mung bean, barley, carp, green bean, sturgeon, shark, plum, almond, Buddha’s hand.
Patients suffering from glioma should not only pay attention to food, but most importantly, they should actively cooperate with the treatment and establish the determination to overcome the disease. In addition to radiotherapy, you can take some herbal medicines that can reduce the toxic side effects of radiotherapy, which have been mentioned in the previous article. I believe that through this article, we can have a better understanding of “what is good for glioma patients to eat in order to have a good treatment effect?” I hope that this will help you in your treatment and wish you all a speedy recovery!