Inflammatory Diet and Survival Outcomes in Colorectal Cancer

A study presented at the 2025 American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) Annual Meeting sought to investigate the connection between inflammatory diet and survival outcomes in patients with stage III colon cancer. According to Sara Char, MD, the study didn't find a statistically significant link between an inflammatory diet and disease-free survival in the adjusted model. However, Char, a clinical fellow at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston, MA, notes that investigators did observe a notable association with overall survival. Patients consuming the most inflammatory diets (highest EDIP quintile, top 20%) faced an 87% higher risk of death compared to those in the lowest quintile (least inflammatory diets). This translates to a hazard ratio of 1.87 in the multivariable-adjusted model.

Interestingly, this association between an inflammatory diet and overall survival remained consistent even among individuals using anti-inflammatory drugs like aspirin and celecoxib, suggesting that these medications did not mitigate the observed effect.

Investigators also explored the combined impact of diet and physical activity. The findings indicate that the best survival outcomes were among patients who engaged in higher levels of physical activity and consumed less inflammatory diets. This contrasts with those who had lower physical activity and ate the most inflammatory diets.

According to Char, the research adds to the growing evidence that diet can influence survival outcomes for patients. Considering diet and lifestyle factors will be crucial for these patients. Future studies are needed to translate these findings into precise, personalized dietary recommendations that can be implemented in clinical settings. Ideally, clinicians could one day offer tailored dietary advice to patients with stage three colon cancer to potentially prolong their survival.