From the blog

Changing Gut Bacteria Could Improve Effectiveness of Certain Treatments for Mesothelioma

Published: January 17, 2025

A new cancer study has found that certain gut bacteria could influence a person’s immune system when fighting mesothelioma, an aggressive cancer of the linings of certain areas of the body including the lungs, abdomen, heart, and testicles. This has led experts to believe that in future cases of mesothelioma, dietary changes could improve treatment benefits. This study has been published in Nature Communications. Over the last 20 years, the University of Leicester’s Professor of Thoracic Oncology, Dean Fennell, has lead the development and improvement of mesothelioma treatment.

The aggressive form of cancer is mainly caused by the industrial mineral asbestos. It is a very rare cancer, and a mesothelioma diagnosis can be devastating. There is no cure for mesothelioma, but there are treatments currently available that help to improve and extend the quality of life of patients. The focus of the research, funded by the National Institute for Health and Care Research Leicester Biomedical Research Center and Asthma + Lung UK has been to find personalized treatment pathways for patients with relapsed mesothelioma. They are looking to find what patients benefit from different types of drug therapies, using the genetics of cancer cells to lend insight.

In the most recent paper from Professor Fennell’s MIST trials, two immunotherapies were evaluated for effectiveness: atezolizumab and bevacizumab in patients with relapsed mesothelioma. There were 26 patients in the study with relapsed mesothelioma. The average age was 68 and the average amount of cycles of immunotherapy they received was 4.5 cycles. The patient’s disease control rate after 12 weeks was assessed. The study found that a positive patient response was more likely if there were more anti-cancer immune cells seen in mesothelioma tissue. This was associated with the presence of different types of gut bacteria including Provetella, eubacterium ventriosium group, and biophilia.

The main implication of this research is that changing the gut microbiome might improve the odds of success of immunotherapy. This could be done easily by the patient. All the patient would have to do is increase fiber intake. The results from this study will bring hope to those struggling with mesothelioma. It is a remarkable discovery that changing something as simple as the food someone eats could improve the person’s response to immunotherapy. This shows why it is so important to fund research. With more research comes more breakthrough discoveries that could help improve the outcomes of mesothelioma and other cancer treatments.

Source:
“Gut bacteria may influence immunotherapy success in mesothelioma patients” News Medical & Life Sciences (September 5, 2024). [Link]
Contact Us
CONTACT INFORMATION
DIAGNOSIS
Have you received a diagnosis? *
reCAPTCHA