A team of Japanese researchers has found that a certain "strain of gut bacteria" can help in fighting cancer, as it improves the efficacy of cancer immunotherapy.
According to proven research data, the immunity-boosting drugs are said to be sufficiently effective in less than 50 per cent of the subjects. The patient's gut microbe has been pointed out as a possible aspect, though the mechanism, as per researchers, still remains unclear.
These findings were published by the researchers of the National Cancer Center, Japan, in the scientific journal Nature. The research involved a study of a sample size of 50 cancer patients who had undergone immunotherapy. The researchers of the study found that patients who responded well to the therapy had a higher ratio of a strain of bacteria named YB328. The researchers transplanted the strain into one group of mice with cancer that had been cleared of gut flora.
In another group of mice, they administered a different microbe to patients unresponsive to immunotherapy. They said that when both groups were administered the anti-cancer drugs, the results revealed interesting patterns; mice who were given the YB328 saw their tumors shrink post-drug administration.
Another experiment revealed that the bacterial strain activates immune cells. The National Cancer Center Research Institute's Nishikawa Hiroyoshi said YB328 could enhance the efficacy of immunity-boosting drugs in patients who had not benefited from the therapy.
He said he hopes to continue the studies to develop new medication, which could benefit the treatment and management of a certain type of cancer. The global economic cost of cancer is substantial, estimated at $25.2 trillion from 2020 to 2050. This cost includes healthcare expenses, lost productivity, and savings.
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