The future of cancer treatment might surprisingly involve a dose of donated stool. Recent small trials reveal that fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT)—delivered via a pill, thankfully—could enhance the effectiveness of existing cancer therapies.
Researchers in Canada announced the results of two trials on Wednesday in *Nature Medicine*. In one trial involving patients with advanced kidney cancer, FMT seemed to alleviate some of the side effects of immunotherapy. In the other trial, it noted an improvement in outcomes for individuals with lung cancer or melanoma receiving immunotherapy. The results imply that FMT could be a beneficial addition to a valuable strategy for treating late-stage cancers, according to the researchers, who collaborated internationally, including scientists from Italy, the U.S., and France.
Stool in pill form
The gut microbiome—the collection of bacteria in our digestive system—plays a vital role in overall health. Various health issues have been linked to an imbalanced microbiome. FMT aims to restore a person’s microbiome by using healthy gut bacteria from a donor.
It’s known to be highly effective for treating recurrent C. difficile infections, but finding additional reliable applications has been challenging. Traditionally, FMT must be administered through colonoscopies or enemas, which can be a hurdle for some patients. However, researchers at the Lawson Research Institute in Ontario have been developing tailored FMT pills that can be taken orally, which were used in both trials.
In a Phase I trial led by researchers at Lawson and the London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute (LHSCRI), FMT was administered to 20 patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma, all of whom had undergone immunotherapy treatments beforehand.
The findings showed that, compared to standard treatments, participants experienced fewer side effects associated with immunotherapy, including rash, nausea, and diarrhea. About 50% of the individuals showed a positive treatment response, which exceeds the usual rates for these medications, though the primary purpose of the study wasn’t to assess effectiveness.
A second Phase II study, conducted by researchers at the Montreal University Hospital Center’s research team, noted that patients with advanced lung cancer or melanoma who received both FMT and immunotherapy had a response rate of 75% to 80%—significantly higher than the typical 39% to 45% for these treatments, according to the researchers.
Early but encouraging
While these studies are limited in size and should be approached with caution, they certainly provide a strong argument for conducting larger trials to further investigate FMT’s potential as an aid in cancer treatment. Some trials are already in progress.
“Utilizing FMT to lessen drug toxicity and enhance patients’ quality of life, while potentially improving their cancer treatment response, is incredible, especially since this has never been attempted for kidney cancer before,” stated Michael Silverman, an author of both studies and head of the infectious diseases program at St. Joseph’s Health Care London in Ontario.
Even in pill form, this kind of treatment may be difficult for some to accept. However, it could play a crucial role in saving lives for those who otherwise might not respond to conventional therapies in the near future.
