https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9334-4405
Figures & data
Figure 1. Therapeutic strategy involving microbial products to circumvent primary resistance to anticancer treatments.
Preliminary data suggest the capacity of gut onco-microbiome signatures to predict the clinical outcome of anticancer treatments. Data from these analyses can inform on the microbiota in cancer patients and indicate which bacterial genera or species could be beneficial to patients. The identification, cultivation and functional characterization of cancer-relevant microbial species through an extensive preclinical validation process will be crucial for optimizing the process. The development of diagnostic tools predicting the response of a particular cancer patient to a particular microbial product will allow to personalize therapeutic interventions, that will rely on fecal microbial transplantation (FMT), consortia of bacterial strains or single-strain bacteria. The outcome of microbial interventions can be evaluated by monitoring the clinical efficacy of anticancer treatments as well as the incidence of immune-related adverse effects (irAEs) or signs of graft-versus-host disease (GvHD).
Table 1. Clinical trials employing microbial products for cancer therapy. AFMT: autologous fecal microbial transplantation; GvHD: graft-versus-host disease; ICBs: immune checkpoint blockers; irAE: immune-related adverse event; MDRB: multi-drug resistant bacteria; ORR: objective response rate; OS: overall survival; PFS: progression-free Survival; PSA: prostate-specific antigen; RRR: radiographic response rate; TKI: tyrosine kinase inhibitor.