Ketogenic Diet in Combination With Standard-of-care Radiation and Temozolomide for Patients With Glioblastoma
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ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT03451799 |
Recruitment Status :
Recruiting
First Posted : March 2, 2018
Last Update Posted : October 19, 2020
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Condition or disease | Intervention/treatment | Phase |
---|---|---|
GBM Glioblastoma | Other: Ketogenic Diet Radiation: Standard-of-care radiation Drug: Standard-of-care Temozolomide | Phase 1 |
Study Type : | Interventional (Clinical Trial) |
Estimated Enrollment : | 20 participants |
Allocation: | N/A |
Intervention Model: | Single Group Assignment |
Intervention Model Description: | Single arm, prospective cohort |
Masking: | None (Open Label) |
Primary Purpose: | Treatment |
Official Title: | IIT2016-17-HU-KETORADTMZ: A Phase 1 Study of a 4-month Ketogenic Diet in Combination With Standard-of-care Radiation and Temozolomide for Patients With Newly/Recently Diagnosed Glioblastoma |
Actual Study Start Date : | April 13, 2018 |
Estimated Primary Completion Date : | April 2021 |
Estimated Study Completion Date : | April 2021 |

Arm | Intervention/treatment |
---|---|
Experimental: Ketogenic diet+radiation+temozolomide
Ketogenic diet in combination with standard-of-care radiation and standard-of-care temozolomide
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Other: Ketogenic Diet
A 4-month ketogenic diet will be supervised and monitored by the study investigators. Study dietitians will create personalized meal plans for each patient with the goal of achieving and maintaining metabolic ketosis. Radiation: Standard-of-care radiation Patients will receive standard-of-care radiation. Radiation is not protocol directed. Drug: Standard-of-care Temozolomide Patients will receive standard-of-care temozolomide. Temozolomide is not protocol directed. |
- Safety of the intervention [ Time Frame: Four Months ]Proportion of participants experiencing a 10% decrease in weight or body mass index AND have a BMI <18.5 within one month from initiation of the ketogenic diet.
- Safety of the intervention [ Time Frame: Four months ]Number of related adverse events based on CTCAE v.5.
- Feasibility of the intervention [ Time Frame: Four Months ]Proportion of enrolled patients able to maintain blood ketone levels >0.3 mM for over 50% of days on study starting 2 weeks after initiation of the ketogenic diet.
- Overall Survival [ Time Frame: Sixty months ]Time (in months) from initiation of the ketogenic diet to date of death
- Time-to-progression [ Time Frame: Four Months ]
Time (in months) from baseline to progressive disease over study duration (estimated 4 months)
- measured by RANO criteria (standard of care brain MRI)
- Quality of Life (two months) [ Time Frame: Two months ]
Mean change in overall Quality of Life from baseline to two months.
-Quality of Life measured using EORTC QLQ-C30 global score
- Quality of Life (four months) [ Time Frame: Four months ]
Mean change in overall Quality of Life from baseline to four months.
-Quality of Life measured using EORTC QLQ-C30 global score
- Cognitive function (Hopkins Verbal Learning Test-Revised) [ Time Frame: Four months ]
Mean change in cognitive function from initiation of ketogenic diet to four months.
-measured using Hopkins Verbal learning Test-Revised
- Cognitive function (Trail Making Test) [ Time Frame: Four months ]
Mean change in cognitive function from initiation of ketogenic diet to four months.
-measured using Trail Making Test
- Cognitive function (Controlled Word Association Test) [ Time Frame: Four months ]
Mean change in cognitive function from initiation of ketogenic diet to four months.
-measured using Controlled Word Association Test
- Cognitive function (Montreal Cognitive Assessment) [ Time Frame: Four months ]
Mean change in cognitive function from initiation of ketogenic diet to four months.
-measured using Montreal Cognitive Assessment

Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contacts provided below. For general information, Learn About Clinical Studies.
Ages Eligible for Study: | 18 Years and older (Adult, Older Adult) |
Sexes Eligible for Study: | All |
Accepts Healthy Volunteers: | No |
Inclusion Criteria:
- Adults (age ≥ 18 years)
- Newly or recently diagnosed glioblastoma. Patients may enroll in the study from the time of diagnosis (prior to the initiation of standard-of-care chemoradiation) up until the initiation of post-radiation adjuvant chemotherapy (typically approximately 3-4 weeks after the completion of radiation therapy). Overall, this provides a window of approximately 3 months from the time of diagnosis for patients to enroll in this study. No recurrent glioblastoma is allowed on trial.
- Being seen for treatment of glioblastoma at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center. Note: Okay if patients receiving chemotherapy or radiation therapy at another facility
- Patients on low and managed doses of steroids are permitted. Up to 8 mg dexamethasone or steroid equivalent.
Exclusion Criteria:
- Karnofsky Performance Status of <70 as deemed by physician or equivalent
- Body Mass Index of <22 kg/m2 (rounded to nearest integer)
- Patients with disorders that affect lipid metabolism such as pyruvate carboxylase deficiency, porphyria, primary carnitine deficiency, carnitine palmitoyltransferase I or II deficiency, carnitine translocase deficiency, Beta-Oxidation Defects
- Medical comorbidities that in the opinion of the investigator limits the patient's ability to complete this study
- Pregnant, nursing, or implanted with an intrauterine device (IUD) that is not MR compatible
- Patients who are vegan or vegetarian will be excluded, as the ketogenic diet includes foods that may interfere with these preferences
- Patients on high doses of steroids will be excluded
- Patients currently receiving experimental therapeutic therapy will be excluded from the trial. Note: Off-label therapy use is permitted
- Inability to adhere to the protocol
- Patients with history of allergic reactions to surgical steel or elastomer/rubber are excluded from the activity monitor portion of the study. Because the activity monitor uses a Bluetooth low energy Transceiver, individuals using pacemakers, implantable cardiac defibrillators, neuro-stimulation devices, cochlear implants, hearing aids, or other electronic medical equipment should also be excluded from wearing the activity monitor. They can still use the Aria scale to record weight.
- Patients with mechanically, magnetically, or electrically activated implants, such as cardiac pacemakers, neurostimulators, and infusion pumps, that are not magnetic resonance imaging/positron emission tomography (MRI/PET) compatible.
- Patients with ferromagnetic implants and ferromagnetic foreign bodies, such as intracranial, aneurysm clips, shrapnel and intraocular metal chips as these could become dislodged.
- Patients unable to tolerate MRI/PET imaging secondary to an inability to lie supine or severe claustrophobia as assessed by the treating physician or principal investigator.
- Patients unable to lie still, hold their breath, or follow imaging procedure instructions as assessed by the treating physician or PI.
- Patients whose most recent renal function test does not meet Cedars-Sinai Medical center standard of care MRI contrast protocol requirements (glomerular filtration rate <45ml/min).
- Patients with a known allergy to Fludeoxyglucose F18 (F18-FDG) radioactive tracer or gadolinium-based contrast agent.
- Patients with allergy to animal dander or animal-instigated asthma.

To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the contact information provided by the sponsor.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier (NCT number): NCT03451799
Contact: Amelia Welborn | 310-248-8654 | amelia.welborn@cshs.org | |
Contact: Laura Lockshon | 424-315-2219 | Laura.Lockshon@cshs.org |
United States, California | |
Cedars Sinai Medical Center | Recruiting |
Los Angeles, California, United States, 90048 | |
Contact: Amelia Welborn 310-248-8654 amelia.welborn@cshs.org | |
Contact: Laura Lockshon 424-315-2219 laura.lockshon@cshs.org | |
Principal Investigator: Jethro Hu, MD |
Principal Investigator: | Jethro Hu, MD | Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Samuel Oschin Comprehensive Cancer Institute |
Responsible Party: | Jethro Hu, Principal Investigator, Faculty, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center |
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: | NCT03451799 |
Other Study ID Numbers: |
IIT2016-17-HU-KETORADTMZ |
First Posted: | March 2, 2018 Key Record Dates |
Last Update Posted: | October 19, 2020 |
Last Verified: | October 2020 |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Drug Product: | No |
Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated Device Product: | No |
Glioblastoma Ketogenic diet Keto diet GBM |
Glioblastoma Astrocytoma Glioma Neoplasms, Neuroepithelial Neuroectodermal Tumors Neoplasms, Germ Cell and Embryonal Neoplasms by Histologic Type Neoplasms |
Neoplasms, Glandular and Epithelial Neoplasms, Nerve Tissue Temozolomide Antineoplastic Agents, Alkylating Alkylating Agents Molecular Mechanisms of Pharmacological Action Antineoplastic Agents |