©The Author(s) 2026. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc. All rights reserved.
World J Clin Oncol. Feb 24, 2026; 17(2): 115289
Published online Feb 24, 2026. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v17.i2.115289
Published online Feb 24, 2026. doi: 10.5306/wjco.v17.i2.115289
Intermittent fasting enhances cancer therapy via autophagy-dependent and independent mechanisms: Evidence and implications
Mona Mohamed Ibrahim Abdalla, Abdul Malik Sahib Mohammed Irfan, Division of Physiology, Department of Human Biology, School of Medicine, IMU University, Kuala Lumpur 57000, Malaysia
Payal Bhatnagar, Department of Pharmaceutical Technology, School of Pharmacy, IMU University, Kuala Lumpur 57000, Malaysia
Mohd Hazim Bin Zulkaflee, Nabil Eid, Division of Anatomy, Department of Human Biology, School of Medicine, IMU University, Kuala Lumpur 57000, Malaysia
Author contributions: Abdalla MMI, Bhatnagar P, Zulkaflee MHB, Mohammed Irfan AMS, and Eid N wrote the text; Abdalla MMI and Eid N designed the figures; Eid N revised the final draft and approved the paper submission. All authors have read and approved the final manuscript.
Conflict-of-interest statement: All the authors report no relevant conflicts of interest for this article.
Corresponding author: Nabil Eid, MD, PhD, Associate Professor, Division of Anatomy, Department of Human Biology, School of Medicine, IMU University, Jalan Jalil Perkasa 19, Bukit Jalil, Kuala Lumpur 57000, Malaysia. nabilsaleheid@imu.edu.my
Received: October 15, 2025
Revised: October 30, 2025
Accepted: January 6, 2026
Published online: February 24, 2026
Processing time: 116 Days and 4.9 Hours
Revised: October 30, 2025
Accepted: January 6, 2026
Published online: February 24, 2026
Processing time: 116 Days and 4.9 Hours
Core Tip
Core Tip: Growing evidence indicates that intermittent fasting (IF) can reduce chemotherapy-related toxicity and slow tumor growth in cancer patients through both autophagy-dependent and independent mechanisms. Therefore, IF may represent a promising strategy for cancer prevention and as an adjuvant to cancer therapy. However, there are limitations associated with IF in cancer therapy.