The gut microbiota’s role in cancer is gaining increasing attention, particularly for its potential influence on therapy outcomes. Recent studies have highlighted that the composition and balance of gut microbes may potentially affect cancer progression, the response to treatment, and the occurrence of side effects during chemotherapy.
At Maastricht University, interactions between the gut microbiota, cancer cachexia and chemotherapy have been explored through observational clinical research. In addition, recent preclinical evidence suggests that gut microbes may impact the efficacy and toxicity of 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) – a common chemotherapy drug – which in turn could influence the patients’ prognosis.
Recognizing this potential, Maastricht University and Danone Research & Innovation (R&I) initiated a public-private partnership, aimed at investigating whether gut microbiota modulation with prebiotic fibers could be used during chemotherapy.
The first step was to further study chemotherapy-induced gut microbiota changes in vitro model of the colon. In the same model, different prebiotic fiber mixtures were then tested for their ability to positively influence the gut microbiota in the presence of 5-FU. Building on these preclinical research results, the team will launch a clinical intervention study to assess the effects of a prebiotic fiber mixture in patients with advanced colorectal cancer. The goal is to determine whether such prebiotic fibers could counteract 5-FU-induced changes and support gut health during chemotherapy, potentially improving patient outcomes.
According to Ardy van Helvoort, Senior Director of Nutritional Physiology & Functional Nutrients at Danone R&I: “This innovative approach could provide new avenues for managing chemotherapy side effects and enhancing the overall success of cancer treatment”. However, before this could be implemented in the clinics, more research answering the remaining questions is required.
To learn more about the study: Prebiotic fibre mixtures counteract the manifestation of gut microbial dysbiosis induced by the chemotherapeutic 5-Fluorouracil (5-FU) in a validated in vitro model of the colon | BMC Microbiology | Full Text (biomedcentral.com).
Explore our Oncology research, and how our experts are investigating the impact of nutrition on improving cancer care outcomes.