Nutrition and cancer: where does the research stand?

On Tuesday, May 26, 2026, at 6 p.m., Cairoli Brothers College will host the lecture “Nutrition and cancer: where does the research stand?” in the Great Hall.

Patrizia Pasanisi will speak, AIRC researcher at Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori in Milan, Italy.

For a tumor to arise, it is necessary for a cell to accumulate a series of damages to the systems controlling its ability to reproduce (which are written in DNA) and to find an environment conducive to its uncontrolled multiplication. Nutrition can play an important role in all stages of the carcinogenesis process, from exposure to environmental carcinogens, to modulation of internal dose, repair of DNA damage, activation of programmed cell death mechanisms, signal transduction of various growth factors, to modification of the bioavailability of steroid hormones, insulin and insulin-like growth factors, which can promote the progression of the neoplastic clone.

The complex interplay of these mechanisms, combined with the extreme variety of food combinations in different populations and the different genetic constitution of individuals makes it clear how complex and fascinating research on diet and cancer is.

Scientific studies today suggest that certain diet/lifestyle factors, and certain dietary patterns are important in the occurrence of not only the most common cancers, but underlie many of the chronic-degenerative diseases of our time.

During the event we will try to address some of these issues, focusing on what food choices in our daily lives can help us in prevention.