FIURTT-Study (Kidney Tumours)

Recruiting / Results published

Who can enter

• Children and adolescents with a new diagnosis of a non-metastasized kidney tumor

• Age: 0,5 to 18 years old

Goal

The goal of this study is to investigate whether a short-term fasting diet before kidney tumor surgery influences the quality of recovery after surgery. The fasting diet may also result in less damage in the remaining healthy kidney. Depending on the results of this study, we then want to implement this treatment strategy in daily care.

Background

Research has shown that animals live longer when they consume less calories than they normally would. This is partly due to better resistance (a protective state against oxidative stress) that the body builds up itself in that situation. Oxidative stress is a kind of damage that occurs during situations that could be harmful to the body, such as excess warmth, UV-light and smoking. Oxidative stress also occurs during surgery and could adversely affect the postoperative recovery.

A preoperative (fasting) diet was well tolerated by people who donated one of their kidneys and people undergoing gastric bypass surgery for obesity, as earlier research has shown. There was no increased risk for postoperative complications. Also, there was a positive effect on the postoperative (kidney function) recovery in the kidney donor and recipient. Now we want to investigate whether this beneficial effect is also present in children undergoing kidney tumor surgery.

Normally, a child also needs to abstain from intake before surgery. Adhering to a short-term fasting diet means that a child cannot eat for a slightly longer (a few hours) period before surgery. How many hours, depends on his/her age. We want to investigate whether a short-term fasting diet puts the body into a protective state. This protective state possibly ensures that a child can better withstand the physical stress (in other words: damage) associated with surgery. The fasting diet could therefore result in a quicker recovery after surgery and less damage in the remaining healthy kidney.

Please also watch this interview for more explanation of this research.

In order to participate in a study please refer to your/your child’s doctor.

Last reviewed

February 1, 2022

The above information is intended as a brief summary only and may not reflect the most up-to-date information. For full details and the current status of a protocol, physicians can contact the Princess Máxima Center directly.

Summary

Can fasting help improve recovery after kidney surgery?

Could a short-term fasting diet before surgery improve the recovery of children with kidney tumors? PhD candidate Chris Oudmaijer explored this question in the FIURTT study at the Princess Máxima Center. His findings are promising, but also highlight the need for further research.

Chris Oudmaijer, a PhD candidate in the Hoeijmakers group, focused his research on the effects of short-term fasting prior to surgery. He investigated whether such a diet could put the body into a 'protective mode,' making it more resilient to the stress of surgery. If effective, fasting could make surgery less taxing for children with kidney tumors and reduce the risk of surgery-related complications.

Safe and effective

‘By eating less for a short period of time, the cells in your body start to use energy more consciously,’ Chris explains. ‘As a result, the body becomes less vulnerable to external stress, such as surgery and anesthesia. That’s the theory—and in my PhD research I indeed found strong indications that a short-term diet can improve treatment outcomes. So far, we know that it’s safe and effective. But the key question is whether children truly benefit from it. To prove that, we need to study a larger group of children. Plans for this follow-up research are currently being developed.’

Honest, resilient, and vulnerable all at once

In addition to children with kidney tumors, Chris also studied the effect of the diet in adults with benign liver tumors at Erasmus MC and in adults donating a kidney for transplantation at UMC Groningen. The research involving children at the Máxima Center was a valuable and eye-opening addition, he shares. ‘Children are honest, resilient, and vulnerable all at once,’ Chris says. ‘As soon as they feel better after surgery, they get out of bed and start playing. I admire that, just as I admire the willingness of parents and children to participate in research. Pre-surgery fasting demands something extra from families, so we gave careful thought to the practical side. For instance, by scheduling surgery early in the morning, most of the fasting period could happen overnight.’

More information

Chris Oudmaijer defended his PhD thesis on Wednesday, April 9, 2025 at the Erasmus University in Rotterdam.