Fecal Microbiota Different Between Patients With Melanoma, Controls
Source: AJMC, September 2023
Fecal microbiota profiles were significantly different between patients with melanoma and controls, and between patients with early-stage and late-stage melanoma, according to study results published in JAMA Dermatology. Prospective analyses of the gut microbiome and changes that happen with disease progression might target future microbial intervention goals, the authors suggested.
The gut microbiome adjusts the immune system and responses to immunotherapy in patients with late-stage melanoma. New evidence suggests that the gut microbiome might influence the start of cancer, disease progression, drug toxicity, and treatment response. A link between the presence of specific microbes in the gut and immunotherapy response has been shown, but only partial data exists. It isn’t known whether fecal microbiota profiles are different between healthy people and those with melanoma, or if they differ among patients with different stages of melanoma.
Researchers aimed to characterize and compare gut microbiota profiles between healthy volunteers and patients with melanoma, and between patients with early-stage and late-stage melanoma, in hopes that they might uncover factors linked with disease progression.