Israeli researchers have now succeeded in combining two notable research fields – transplantation of gastrointestinal bacteria and immunotherapy in cancer patients. That according to a new study published in the journal Science.
The study includes a small group of ten patients with skin cancer. All patients have undergone different types of cancer treatments, but without results. Among other things, they have been treated with immunotherapy where one’s own immune system attacks the tumor.
The researchers for the study once again want to treat patients with immunotherapy but first strengthen their immune system. One way to do this is to replace their gastrointestinal bacteria.
Therefore, fight the patients’ own intestinal bacteria and new bacteria are transplanted from people who have previously responded well to the treatment.
After that, patients will undergo immunotherapy again to see if they respond better to the treatment with the new healthy bacterial flora.
– Of the ten patients who are involved, you see an effect in three patients and in one of them you see that the tumor disappears completely, says Hans-Gustaf Ljunggren who is a professor of infectious disease medicine.
The result opens up for further studies in larger patient groups to confirm whether this combination of treatments can be an effective way to treat certain types of cancer.
Hans-Gustaf Ljunggren thinks the study shows the direction in which cancer research and the treatment of cancer diseases are heading.
– It is a very exciting result! Especially that we to a greater and greater extent today try to combine different types of treatments.
Reference:
EN Baruch et al., “Fecal microbiota transplant promotes response in immunotherapy-refractory melanoma patients”, Science, doi: 10.1126 / science.abb5920 (2020).