Researchers at the University of Cincinnati have identified a potential link between gut microbes and survival in pancreatic cancer. The findings appear in the Cancer journal and add a new layer to how scientists understand treatment responses in this aggressive disease.
Pancreatic cancer remains one of the deadliest cancers, with only about 9% of patients living five years after their diagnosis. This stark statistic underscores the urgent need to uncover factors that can influence outcomes and help guide new therapies.
In exploring why some patients fare better than others, the Cincinnati team looked at the gut microbiome of individuals who have shown longer survival times. Their analysis revealed several bacterial species that appear more frequently in these patients, including Faecalibacterium prausnitzii. While the exact role of these bacteria is not yet confirmed, scientists suspect they may help prime the immune system to recognize and attack tumor cells more effectively.
The investigation highlighted an intriguing connection: the same bacterial strain has previously been linked to improved responses to immunotherapy in people with advanced melanoma, a form of skin cancer known for its severity. This parallel suggests a broader potential for gut microbes to influence how the body responds to cancer therapies, though more research is needed to establish causation and mechanism.
Despite these promising observations, the researchers caution that no clear dietary pattern, lifestyle habit, or genetic factor has been identified that could reliably raise the levels of these beneficial bacteria in the gut. The team emphasizes that currently there is no proven natural method to alter the microbiome in a way that would consistently improve pancreatic cancer outcomes. Future studies will need to confirm these associations, explore how the bacteria interact with the immune system, and determine whether microbiome-targeted interventions could become part of standard care.