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Recipe for cancer education: a novel integrated cooking and nutrition education curriculum for medical students and physicians in dietary preventive and supplemental treatment for pancreatic cancer

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  • Published:
Journal of Medicine and the Person

Abstract

The poor outcomes surrounding pancreatic cancer (5 % 5-year survival) are rooted in the advanced nature of the cancer at diagnosis, aggressiveness of the tumor, technical challenges for surgical treatment, and the limitations of systemic therapies. Research on pancreatic cancer and diet has focused on the effects of bioactive food compounds upon major pathways in cancerous cell development, particularly with the active components of flavonoids, proteins, and vitamins. Such bioactive components, particularly found in fruits and vegetables, have been associated with increased sensitivity to chemotherapeutic drugs for treating pancreatic cancer and inhibiting angiogenesis and cancerous cell growth. Diet-based approaches to prevention and treatment of pancreatic cancer may thus offer clinical efficacious and cost-effective opportunities to optimize existing modes of treatment (surgery, systemic therapies, radiotherapies, and palliative care), offset rising medical costs for patients, and improve quality of life for patients undergoing treatment. Integration of these findings at the clinical level may require a national, scalable model such as that of Tulane University School of Medicine’s Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine (GCCM) to meaningfully improve the care of health care providers for pancreatic cancer patients.

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Acknowledgments

The authors would like to express their profound gratitude for the patients and medical professionals who make possible the ongoing multi-center national trials for GCCM.

Financial disclosures: The authors have no financial disclosures.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Goldring Center for Culinary Medicine, Tulane University School of Medicine, 1430 Tulane Avenue #8541, New Orleans, LA, 70112, USA

    Dominique J. Monlezun, Patricia Tsai, Leah Sarris & Timothy S. Harlan

  2. Department of Global Health Systems and Development, Tulane University School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine, New Orleans, USA

    Dominique J. Monlezun

Authors
  1. Dominique J. Monlezun
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  2. Patricia Tsai
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  3. Leah Sarris
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  4. Timothy S. Harlan
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Correspondence to Dominique J. Monlezun.

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Monlezun, D.J., Tsai, P., Sarris, L. et al. Recipe for cancer education: a novel integrated cooking and nutrition education curriculum for medical students and physicians in dietary preventive and supplemental treatment for pancreatic cancer. J Med Pers 12, 125–128 (2014). https://doi.org/10.1007/s12682-014-0190-5

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s12682-014-0190-5

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