In the fight against cancer, researchers have combined two notable research fields - immunotherapy and transplantation of intestinal bacteria.
They present their results in a newly published study in Science.
- There are two completely different research areas that meet and that show a completely new way of treating cancer, says Hans-Gustaf Ljunggren, professor of infectious disease medicine at Karolinska Institutet.
Some do not respond to treatment
Today, patients with skin cancer are often treated with immunotherapy - a treatment that aims to stimulate the body's own immune system so that it attacks cancer cells.
However, not all patients respond to this treatment.
- Many patients with cancer, including with malignant melanoma, respond to immunotherapy, but not all.
Then, of course, you want to access these patients, says Hans-Gustaf Ljunggren.
Researchers are now showing that these patients can be helped by so-called fecal transplantation or stool transplantation.
The patients who did not respond to immunotherapy received a transplant of intestinal bacteria from the patients who had responded well to the treatment.
- The bacterial flora that we have in our gut regulates or affects many functions in the body, including our immune system.
These are completely new insights.
By replacing the intestinal flora, you can model the immune system, says Hans-Gustaf Ljunggren.
Small but promising study
The phase 2 study, which included 15 patients, showed that six patients had slowed down the course of the disease more than a year later.
The researchers' conclusion is that good intestinal bacteria can help the immune system in the fight against cancer.
- I think this is a very exciting approach.
It must be said that these results are promising.
The study indicates that something is happening and what you should do now is move on to new studies with larger groups of patients, says Hans-Gustaf Ljunggren.