You didn't understand the article. You aren't trying to starve the cancer cells, you're trying to toughen up the normal cells.

When starved, normal cells 'harden up' so to speak, whereas the cancer cells continue business as usual. When the chemo is administered, normal cells aren't as easily destroyed, but the cancer cells are.

Yes, I think "Toughen the cells" as you said is the right way of distilling this article; also note that subjecting yourself to periods of high heat or cold can produce a similar response. The mechanism, in part, is thought to be from what is called "Heat Shock" proteins.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heat_shock_protein

As I said before, these proteins are made not just from heat exposure, but from other stress such as fasting and extreme cold exposure. Anyway, I think it is interesting as there is a reasonable amount of ancient literature linking fasting with health(for instance, Isaiah 58:8). Interesting how long science can take to "rediscover" certain basic things the ancients picked up on.