Antioxidants is to protect if you decide chemo. Hormetic stress is a new term for me but if you mean fasting I can see an objective. First response is for the body to consume sugars then fats then itself (muscles etc). Cancer being accepted as part of the body is a candidate for consumption. Cancer is normal and beneficial when a fast growing tissue is required ( the tissue that binds an egg to the womb test positive as cancer every time). In this case the brain does the triage and decides that you are priority as all is lost otherwise.