A Phase 2 Study of the Ketogenic Diet vs Standard Anti-cancer Diet Guidance for Patients With Glioblastoma in Combination With Standard-of-care Treatment

May 4, 2026 updated by: Jethro Hu, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

A Randomized Controlled Phase 2 Study of the Ketogenic Diet Versus Standard Dietary Guidance for Patients With Newly Diagnosed Glioblastoma in Combination With Standard-of-care Treatment

This is a Phase 2, randomized two-armed, multi-site study of 170 patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme. Patients will be randomized 1:1 to receive Keto Diet, or Standard Anti-Cancer Diet. All patients will receive standard of care treatment for their glioblastoma. The Keto Diet intervention will be for an 18-week period and conducted by trained research dietitians. Daily ketone and glucose levels will be recorded to monitor Keto Diet adherence.

This two-armed randomized multi-site study aims to provide evidence to support the hypothesis that a Keto Diet vs. Standard Anti-Cancer Diet improves overall survival in newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme patients who receive standard of care treatment.

Study Overview

Status

Status

Indicates the current recruitment status or the expanded access status.
Recruiting

Conditions

Conditions

The disease, disorder, syndrome, illness, or injury that is being studied. On ClinicalTrials.gov, conditions may also include other health-related issues, such as lifespan, quality of life, and health risks.

Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.

Study Type

Study Type

Describes the nature of a clinical study. Study types include interventional studies (also called clinical trials), observational studies (including patient registries), and expanded access.
Interventional

Enrollment (Estimated)

Enrollment

The number of participants in a clinical study. The "anticipated" enrollment is the target number of participants that the researchers need for the study.
170

Phase

Phase

The stage of a clinical trial studying a drug or biological product, based on definitions developed by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The phase is based on the study's objective, the number of participants, and other characteristics. There are five phases: Early Phase 1 (formerly listed as Phase 0), Phase 1, Phase 2, Phase 3, and Phase 4. Not Applicable is used to describe trials without FDA-defined phases, including trials of devices or behavioral interventions.
  • Phase 2

Contacts and Locations

This section provides the contact details for those conducting the study, and information on where this study is being conducted.

Study Contact

Study Contact

The name and contact information for the person who can answer enrollment questions for a clinical study. Each location where the study is being conducted may also have a specific contact, who may be better able to answer those questions.

Study Locations

  • United States
    • California
      • Los Angeles, California, United States, 90048
        • Recruiting
        • Cedars-Sinai Medical Center
        • Principal Investigator:
          • Stephen Freedland, MD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Jeremy Rudnick, MD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Ray Chu, MD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • John Yu, MD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Chirag Patil, MD
        • Contact:
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Mourad Tighiouart, PhD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Sungyong You, PhD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • LJ Amaral, MS, RD, CSO
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Gillian Gresham, PhD
        • Contact:
      • San Francisco, California, United States, 94143
        • Recruiting
        • University of California, San Francisco
        • Contact:
      • Santa Monica, California, United States, 90404
        • Recruiting
        • Pacific Neuroscience Institute / Saint John's Cancer Institute
        • Contact:
    • North Carolina
      • Durham, North Carolina, United States, 27705
        • Recruiting
        • Duke University
        • Contact:
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Lin Pao-Hwa, PhD
        • Sub-Investigator:
          • Jen-Tsan Chi, MD, PhD
    • Wisconsin
      • Milwaukee, Wisconsin, United States, 53226
        • Withdrawn
        • Medical College of Wisconsin

Participation Criteria

Researchers look for people who fit a certain description, called eligibility criteria. Some examples of these criteria are a person's general health condition or prior treatments.

Eligibility Criteria

Eligibility Criteria

The key requirements that people who want to participate in a clinical study must meet or the characteristics they must have. Eligibility criteria consist of both inclusion criteria (which are required for a person to participate in the study) and exclusion criteria (which prevent a person from participating). Types of eligibility criteria include whether a study accepts healthy volunteers, has age or age group requirements, or is limited by sex.

Ages Eligible for Study

18 years and older (Adult, Older Adult)

Accepts Healthy Volunteers

No

Description

Inclusion Criteria:

  • Adults 18 years or older
  • Newly diagnosed glioblastoma (Within 2 months of initial diagnosis by histopathology)
  • Not started standard of care chemotherapy and/or radiation therapy for glioblastoma
  • Karnofsky Performance Status (KPS) ≥ 70
  • Ability to read, write and understand either English OR Spanish
  • Written informed consent obtained from subject and ability for subject to comply with the requirements of the study.

Exclusion Criteria:

  • Patients with recurrent glioblastoma
  • Genetic disorders that affect lipid metabolism. Including but not limited to pyruvate carboxylase deficiency, porphyria, primary carnitine deficiency, carnitine palmitoyltransferase I or II deficiency, carnitine translocase deficiency, beta-oxidation defects
  • Inability to wean steroids below 8mg dexamethasone / day or equivalent
  • Body Mass Index (BMI) < 21kg/m2, unless the site Principal Investigator deems safe
  • Currently pregnant or nursing
  • Patients receiving other experimental therapy Note: Off-label therapy use is permitted
  • Comorbidities that in the opinion of the investigator limit the patient's ability to complete the study
  • Food preferences incompatible with keto diet
  • Using a pacemaker, implantable cardiac defibrillator, neurostimulator, cochlear implants (removable hearing aids permitted), or other electronic medical equipment, unless the site Principal Investigator deems safe
  • Inability to participant in standard of care MRIs

Study Plan

This section provides details of the study plan, including how the study is designed and what the study is measuring.

How is the study designed?

Design Details

  • Primary Purpose: Treatment
  • Allocation: Randomized
  • Interventional Model: Parallel Assignment
  • Masking: None (Open Label)

Arms and Interventions

Participant Group / Arm

Participant Group / Arm

A group or subgroup of participants in a clinical trial that receives a specific intervention/treatment, or no intervention, according to the trial's protocol.
Intervention / Treatment

Intervention / Treatment

A process or action that is the focus of a clinical study. Interventions include drugs, medical devices, procedures, vaccines, and other products that are either investigational or already available. Interventions can also include noninvasive approaches, such as education or modifying diet and exercise.
Experimental: Keto-Diet
Intensive 18-week Keto Diet intervention.
Behavioral: Keto Diet
The experimental intervention includes a strict and controlled diet that manages daily macronutrient breakdown and increases the ratio of dietary fat relative to protein and carbohydrate consumption.
Placebo Comparator: Standard Anti-Cancer Diet
Standard Anti-Cancer Diet with Dietitian support
Behavioral: Standard Anti-Cancer Diet
Dietitian sessions will utilize the American Institute for Cancer Research Food resources and will reference foods low in fats such as fruits, vegetables and whole grains, providing key micronutrients and phytonutrients. Sessions will also focus on dietary support to help decrease any treatment related symptoms.

What is the study measuring?

Primary Outcome Measures

Primary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, the planned outcome measure that is the most important for evaluating the effect of an intervention/treatment. Most clinical studies have one primary outcome measure, but some have more than one.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Overall survival
Time Frame: From Baseline to 18 Months
Will be calculated as the number of days from the date of patient registration to the date of death.
From Baseline to 18 Months

Secondary Outcome Measures

Secondary Outcome Measures

In a clinical study's protocol, a planned outcome measure that is not as important as the primary outcome measure for evaluating the effect of an intervention but is still of interest. Most clinical studies have more than one secondary outcome measure.
Outcome Measure
Measure Description
Time Frame
Health-related quality of life 1
Time Frame: From Baseline to 18 Weeks
Measured by changes in the Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy - Brain (FACT-BR) survey scores. Scores can range from 0- 200, the higher the score the better the quality of life.
From Baseline to 18 Weeks
Health-related quality of life 2
Time Frame: From Baseline to 18 Weeks
Measured by changes in the Functional Assessment of Chronic Illness Therapy - Fatigue (FACIT-F) survey scores. Scores can range from 0- 160, the higher the score the better the quality of life.
From Baseline to 18 Weeks
Progression-free survival
Time Frame: From Baseline to 18 Weeks
Assessed with Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan of the brain with and without gadolinium. MRI's will be reviewed and assessed for progression free survival via the modified Response Assessment in Neuro-Oncology Criteria.
From Baseline to 18 Weeks
Cognitive performance 1
Time Frame: From Baseline to 18 Weeks
Measured by changes in the Hopkins Verbal Test (HVLT-R) survey scores. Scores can range from 0-36, higher the scores the better the cognitive performance.
From Baseline to 18 Weeks
Cognitive performance 2
Time Frame: From Baseline to 18 Weeks
Measured by changes in the Trail Marking Test A/B survey scores. The longer the task takes to complete the lower the cognitive performance.
From Baseline to 18 Weeks
Physical activity
Time Frame: From Baseline to 18 Weeks
Measured by changes in the modified Godin leisure questionnaire survey scores. The more minutes per week spent in exercise the better the physical activity.
From Baseline to 18 Weeks
Physical activity
Time Frame: From Baseline to 18 Weeks
Measured by Fitbit data changes. The higher the step count the better the physical activity.
From Baseline to 18 Weeks

Collaborators and Investigators

This is where you will find people and organizations involved with this study.

Sponsor

Sponsor

The organization or person who initiates the study and who has authority and control over the study.
Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Collaborators

Collaborators

An organization other than the sponsor that provides support for a clinical study. This support may include activities related to funding, design, implementation, data analysis, or reporting.
National Cancer Institute (NCI)

Investigators

Investigators

A researcher involved in a clinical study. Related terms include site principal investigator, site sub-investigator, study chair, study director, and study principal investigator.
  • Principal Investigator: Jethro Hu, MD, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center

Study record dates

These dates track the progress of study record and summary results submissions to ClinicalTrials.gov. Study records and reported results are reviewed by the National Library of Medicine (NLM) to make sure they meet specific quality control standards before being posted on the public website.

Study Major Dates

Study Start (Actual)

Study Start

The actual date on which the first participant was enrolled in a clinical study. The "anticipated" study start date is the date that the researchers think will be the study start date.
June 27, 2023

Primary Completion (Estimated)

Primary Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention to collect final data for the primary outcome measure. Whether the clinical study ended according to the protocol or was terminated does not affect this date. For clinical studies with more than one primary outcome measure with different completion dates, this term refers to the date on which data collection is completed for all the primary outcome measures. The "anticipated" primary completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the primary completion date for the study.
September 30, 2028

Study Completion (Estimated)

Study Completion

The date on which the last participant in a clinical study was examined or received an intervention/treatment to collect final data for the primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, and adverse events (that is, the last participant's last visit). The "anticipated" study completion date is the date that the researchers think will be the study completion date.
September 30, 2029

Study Registration Dates

First Submitted

First Submitted

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submitted a study record to ClinicalTrials.gov. There is typically a delay of a few days between the first submitted date and the record's availability on ClinicalTrials.gov (the first posted date).
January 12, 2023

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

First Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The date on which the study sponsor or investigator first submits a study record that is consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. The sponsor or investigator may need to revise and submit a study record one or more times before NLM's QC review criteria are met. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
January 23, 2023

First Posted (Actual)

First Posted

The date on which the study record was first available on ClinicalTrials.gov after National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review has concluded. There is typically a delay of a few days between the date the study sponsor or investigator submitted the study record and the first posted date.
February 1, 2023

Study Record Updates

Last Update Posted (Actual)

Last Update Posted

The most recent date on which changes to a study record were made available on ClinicalTrials.gov. There may be a delay between when the changes were submitted to ClinicalTrials.gov by the study's sponsor or investigator (the last update submitted date) and the last update posted date.
May 6, 2026

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

Last Update Submitted That Met QC Criteria

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator submitted changes to a study record that are consistent with National Library of Medicine (NLM) quality control (QC) review criteria. It is the responsibility of the sponsor or investigator to ensure that the study record is consistent with the NLM QC review criteria.
May 4, 2026

Last Verified

Last Verified

The most recent date on which the study sponsor or investigator confirmed the information about a clinical study on ClinicalTrials.gov as accurate and current. If a study with a recruitment status of recruiting; not yet recruiting; or active, not recruiting has not been confirmed within the past 2 years, the study's recruitment status is shown as unknown.
May 1, 2026

More Information

Terms related to this study

Keywords

Additional Relevant MeSH Terms

Other Study ID Numbers

Other Study ID Numbers

Identifiers or ID numbers other than the NCT number that are assigned to a clinical study by the study's sponsor, funders, or others. These numbers may include unique identifiers from other trial registries and National Institutes of Health grant numbers.
  • IIT2022-06-HU-DIET2TREAT
  • R01CA276919 (U.S. NIH Grant/Contract)

Plan for Individual participant data (IPD)

Plan to Share Individual Participant Data (IPD)?

NO

Drug and device information, study documents

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated drug product

No

Studies a U.S. FDA-regulated device product

No

product manufactured in and exported from the U.S.

No

This information was retrieved directly from the website clinicaltrials.gov without any changes. If you have any requests to change, remove or update your study details, please contact register@clinicaltrials.gov. As soon as a change is implemented on clinicaltrials.gov, this will be updated automatically on our website as well.

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