The microbial species composition of a stool sample can predict the effectiveness of cancer immunotherapy. This has been shown by a study published in the journal. Nature Medicine.
Researchers analyzed 106 stool samples from Australian patients with gastrointestinal and biliary tract cancers, rare gynecological cancers and neuroendocrine tumors. All study participants received immunotherapy: combination of ipilimumab and nivolumab and maintenance therapy with nivolumab. These drugs stimulate a person’s immune system to seek out and destroy cancer cells.
The abundance of microbes from different species increased the accuracy of predicting treatment efficacy and 12-month survival using machine learning.
The study suggests that future diagnosis of the gut microbiome should depend on the treatment regimen rather than the type of cancer. Assessing the elemental composition of a patient’s gut microbiota may help predict response to treatment.
A phase 2 study in rare cancer patients identified 22 types of gut microbes associated with response to ipilimumab and nivolumab.
A meta-analysis of Russian scientists before showedthat gut microbes may increase your chances of surviving cancer.