The current webpage is designed to make additional research available concerning how certain fruits can enhance the treatment effects of radiotherapy. These are fruits with significant levels of compounds that act as radiosensitizers. At the bottom of this webpage are links to studies relating to the beneficial fruits listed in Foods to eat and avoid during radiation treatment.
Fruit consumption heightens the cytotoxic effects of radiotherapy on breast cancer cells without harming normal cells through the actions of various phytonutrients, among them:
as well as the hormone melatonin (cherries, especially sour or tart).
Fruit phytonutrients should be obtained by eating whole fruit rather than taking supplements. When a beneficial nutrient is administered at low doses by consuming food, it is likely to have subtle chemopreventive effects, whereas the same compound administered at high doses is more likely to have pharmacological effects, with possible unwanted outcomes. For example, resveratrol has been reported to promote proliferation of ER+/PR+ cells under some circumstances. In fact, while resveratrol has been shown to reduce ER+ cell growth at the earlier stages of cancer development, it can promote ER+ proliferation during later stages.