Healthy Diet and Leiomyosarcoma

Written by Jeff Meyer on 29 Jun 2015

Like all cancers, leiomyosarcoma is something no one should have to deal with. If you receive a diagnosis, though, all you can do is move forward with treatment. Just be sure you give yourself every chance by taking care of your diet too.

Leiomyosarcoma

Leiomyosarcoma is a rare form of cancer that falls under the sarcoma umbrella. It attacks the victim’s muscle tissue. As it is a smooth muscle cancer, leiomyosarcoma can show up virtually anywhere in the body, including the stomach and intestines, the uterus, skin and inside blood vessels.

While sarcoma is a fairly uncommon type of cancer to begin with, leiomyosarcoma is rarer still, which can make life that much harder on those who suffer from it. The cancer was only just discovered in 1994.

Still, as an aggressive type of cancer, it’s important that patients get treatment ASAP and to know that treatment is the best option.

Usually, this means surgery, once it’s been confirmed that leiomyosarcoma is truly present (usually, this will be done through CT scans, MRIs and/or biopsies). After that, chemotherapy and radiation may be used to target any cancer cells left in the body.

While this is the traditional method for addressing leiomyosarcoma, it is not the only way a patient could potentially increase their survival rate. Many medical professionals believe that it would be wise to focus on your diet as well.

The Importance of Diet

The important role your diet plays when battling leiomyosarcoma is no small thing. First, if you’re undergoing chemotherapy or radiation, the right diet may be the only thing that helps you feel even a little bit normal after treatment.

However, consider that, according to Dr. Keith Block and Dr. David Katz, up to 40% of patients die from complications related to malnutrition, not their cancer. Eat right and you’ll up your survival chances.

Furthermore, there are a number of foods people believe you can actually eat in order to limit the damage cancer is able to do and maybe even turn things in your favor.

Capsaicin

Capsaicin can be found in a wide array of chili peppers, so if you like your food to have a bit of bite, start enjoying salsa, pouring on the hot sauce or indulging in some jalapenos.

Once consumed, it has been found that capsaicin attacks mitochondria. These are the parts of your cells that create energy. However, when you have cancer, killing them off can attack the disease as well.

Indole-3-carbinol

Although its name sounds like yet another medication, the truth is that this anticancer substance is available to you anytime you bite into a cruciferous vegetable. The one with the highest concentration is broccoli, but cabbage, cauliflower and kale have plenty of it too.

These are great foods to eat in order to lower your chances of being diagnosed with cancer. However, if you begin consuming them after diagnosis, they may help reduce the size of your leiomysarcoma tumor. Studies on lab rats have shown this effect.

Resveratrol

After you’ve had some nice healthy greens, treat yourself to a bit of anti- leiomysarcoma dessert thanks to resveratrol. You’ll find this in red berries, plums and grapes. Add a little cream and you’ll have a nice treat. Of course, resveratrol can also be found in red wine.

Enzymes in tumors will actually do half the work for you as they transform resveratrol into piceatannol, which is an anti-cancer agent.

Aside from these special additions, keep a healthy diet going throughout treatment. As difficult as it can be at times, this is essential. If your appetite wanes, use vitamins and supplementation to get all the nutritional help you need.

Sources:

http://www.christinamthompson.com/leiomyosarcoma/

http://www.leiomyosarcoma.info/diet.htm

http://www.christinamthompson.com/leiomyosarcoma/

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