Microbiome

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Gut microbiome offers new avenue for detecting colorectal cancer

Significant variations in the gut microbiome can be identified between people who develop pre-cancerous colonic lesions and those who do not. The Dutch study, abstract OP118, presented at United European Gastroenterology (UEG)…

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Bacterial decolonisation offers new strategy to prevent acute radiation dermatitis

Many cases of acute radiation dermatitis involve the common skin bacterium Staphylococcus aureus. Two linked papers in the same issue of JAMA Oncology, published online 4 May, suggest bacterial decolonisation of Staphylococcus…

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Immunotherapy: three studies point to potential strategies to improve response

Over the past 10 years, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have transformed the therapeutic landscape of cancer, becoming standard treatments for metastatic melanoma, renal cell carcinoma, head and neck cancer, and non-small cell…

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Fungal communities are a key part of cancer cell biology

The first pan-cancer mycobiome atlas has revealed the presence of microfungi in 35 types of cancer, with the presence of some fungi correlating with overall survival. The findings of associations between cancer…

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Harmful bacteria play greater role in predicting outcomes of immune checkpoint blockade in melanoma

Harmful gut bacteria may play a greater role than beneficial bacteria in determining efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade in melanoma patients. The study, published in Nature Medicine (28 February), found microbial signatures…

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High-fibre diets associated with improved melanoma immunotherapy response

Melanoma patients eating greater quantities of fibre-rich foods at the start of checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy survive longer than patients with insufficient dietary fibre intake. The observational study, published in Science (23 December…

Articles

Tackling drug resistance: how our commensal bacteria can hinder or help

Response to therapeutics can differ widely from patient to patient, with some gaining highly significant survival benefits from a therapy that in others elicits no response at all. Patients who respond initially…

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Gut microbiome positively influences abiraterone response in prostate cancer

Abiraterone acetate (AA), an agent used in castrate-resistant prostate cancer, promotes a shift towards health-associated, anti-inflammatory gut commensal bacteria, finds a study in Nature Communications. “These findings clearly demonstrate that the gut microbiome is playing a role in treatment response,” says Jeremy Burton, the study lead investigator from the University of Western Ontario, London, Canada. […]