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Metabolic Modulation for Cancer Pain Relief: A Retrospective Pilot Study
Hairu Yang1, Huiqin Zhu1, Tom Tsang2,3
1Department of Oncology, Wuxi People's Hospital Affiliated to Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi Medical Center, Nanjing Medical University, Wuxi, People's Republic of China.
Journal of Pain Research
|August 9, 2026
Summary
Warburg therapy, a glucose metabolic regulation strategy, significantly reduced cancer pain in advanced cancer patients. This approach also decreased the need for opioid and NSAID use in some patients.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Pain Management
- Metabolic Regulation
Background:
- Cancer pain significantly impacts advanced cancer patients' quality of life.
- Metabolism-based strategies, specifically glucose metabolic regulation (Warburg therapy), show potential for managing cancer pain.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the analgesic efficacy of Warburg therapy in advanced cancer patients.
- To assess the impact of Warburg therapy on pain intensity and medication use.
Main Methods:
- Retrospective pre-post cohort study of 71 advanced cancer patients treated with Warburg therapy.
- Primary endpoint: change in pain intensity (Verbal Rating Scale - VRS).
- Secondary endpoints: changes in opioid (MME) and NSAID consumption; exploratory analysis of tumor markers and survival.
Main Results:
- Median VRS pain score decreased significantly from 4 to 2 (p<0.0001).
- 80.3% of patients achieved at least a 20% reduction in pain.
- 10 out of 50 opioid-using patients discontinued use, with 7 transitioning to celecoxib.
Conclusions:
- Warburg therapy demonstrates significant improvement in cancer pain symptoms.
- The therapy is associated with reduced analgesic medication requirements in a subset of patients.
- Further prospective studies are needed to validate observed changes in tumor markers and imaging findings.
