UCSF recruits glioblastoma patients for ketogenic diet cancer trial

UCSF is putting ketogenic diet research in a very specific lane: a phase 2 cancer trial for adults 18 and older with newly diagnosed glioblastoma, where keto is being tested only as an add-on to standard treatment. That matters for anyone following low-carb eating because this is medical ketosis under oncology supervision, not a general wellness push and not a substitute for conventional care.

The study, identified as NCT05708352, is a randomized, two-armed, multi-site trial involving 170 patients with newly diagnosed glioblastoma multiforme. Participants are assigned 1:1 to either a ketogenic diet or standard anti-cancer diet guidance, while all patients continue standard-of-care treatment. UCSF’s Brain Tumor Center says the goal is to see whether the ketogenic diet improves overall survival compared with standard dietary guidance. The trial is listed in San Francisco, California, with additional study sites involved.

The design is tightly controlled. The intervention period runs 18 weeks, and trained research dietitians monitor participants throughout the study. Daily ketone and glucose levels are recorded to track adherence, which gives the research team a way to measure whether patients are actually reaching and sustaining ketosis. Cedars-Sinai’s trial listing says researchers also want to learn how biomarkers change when patients follow the ketogenic diet, adding another layer to the study beyond survival alone.

For the keto community, the key takeaway is that this is where therapeutic keto lives in cancer medicine: inside a randomized clinical trial, not in the everyday low-carb advice people use for weight loss, blood sugar control, or appetite management. Glioblastoma is one of the toughest brain cancers to treat, and it often comes back, so even a small signal in overall survival would matter. But the trial itself also reflects how much remains unknown. A 2025 phase 1 glioblastoma study said there is still limited clinical evidence supporting ketogenic diets for cancer patients, and major cancer organizations do not currently recommend keto as a standard cancer treatment.

Public trial listings say the study began in June 2023 and is expected to run until around September 2029, a long timeline that fits the slow pace of brain cancer research. The National Cancer Institute describes it as an active trial comparing ketogenic diet versus usual diet alongside standard-of-care treatment. For keto readers, that is the reality check: promising research, yes, but still research, and in one of the most serious settings medicine has.