Newswise — In a randomized pilot study recently published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, an international research team led by Andrea Facciabene, PhD, and Steven Joel Feigenberg, MD, both of the Department of Radiation Oncology in the University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine, explored whether altering the gut microbiome could enhance the effectiveness of radiation therapy in patients with inoperable early-stage lung cancer.
The researchers found that the patients who received the antibiotic vancomycin—which stays in the gut and selectively targets certain bacteria—prior to stereotactic body radiotherapy (SBRT) had significantly better outcomes than the patients who received SBRT alone. Their cancer was less likely to return, and they were more likely to live longer.
After three years, overall survival was 100% and progression-free survival was 80% in the vancomycin arm, compared to 52% overall survival and 29% progression-free survival in the control arm.
“Our small study returned provocative data on the potential to re-purpose a common antibiotic to enhance the immune-stimulating effects of radiation,” Facciabene said. “We hope to see if the results in hold in a larger, Phase II clinical trial.”
Link to abstract: https://jitc.bmj.com/content/13/7/e011356
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