Healthy Gut Microbiome Increases Survival Chances for Cancer Patients Undergoing Immunotherapy

Anything that can help more cancer patients survive for longer is a good thing! Now it’s been shown that a healthy gut increases the chances of survival for cancer patients undergoing immunotherapy.

A new study by a team of experts from King’s College, London; University of Groningen, Netherlands; the CIBIO Department of the University of Trento; and the European Institute of Oncology in Italy has discovered the immense power of a healthy microbiome in the intestines that can revolutionize cancer treatment.

According to Dr. Karla Lee, the study’s first author and clinical researcher at King’s College London, “Preliminary studies on a limited number of patients have suggested that the gut microbiome, as an immune system regulator, plays a role in the response of each patient to cancer immunotherapy, and particularly in the case of melanoma. This new study could have a major impact on oncology and medicine in general.”

The microbiome consists of trillions of microorganisms, also known as microbiota or microbes, belonging to thousands of various species, which include bacteria, fungi, and viruses. They exist in harmony in the body of a healthy person, with most of them thriving in the small and large intestines.

The microbiome is also considered a supporting organ, due to the significant roles it plays in the body’s daily functions, including regulation of the immune system.

In this largest study of its kind, involving patients from five clinical centers in the UK, Spain, and the Netherlands, the team sequenced the gut microbiome of subjects to find out if there is a link between the function and composition of the gut microbiome and a cancer patient’s response to immunotherapy.

The results of the study show that such a link exists and that the presence of Bifidobacterium pseudocatenulatum, Roseburia spp., and Akkermansia muciniphila brought about a more positive response to immunotherapy in cancer patients.

Co-author Professor Tim Spector from King’s College London further stated that survival chance was nearly twice between subgroups. This highlights the significance of a good diet and gut health in a patient’s survival chance while undergoing immunotherapy.

Larger studies are recommended to further determine the microbial features that will help patients to endure cancer treatment and live longer lives.

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