Guest commentary: Gut microbiome research could be the new frontier in cancer medicine
By Frank Kalman
Editor’s note: Thanks to the tireless efforts of people like San Luis Obispo resident Frank Kalman and his nonprofit, End Kids Cancer, there have been major advances in pediatric oncology in recent years. Here’s Kalman’s latest report from the front lines:
NBC News recently highlighted gut microbiome research as the new frontier of cancer medicine. The implications are massive. This could be a paradigm shift in the fight against cancer.
UNDERSTANDING THE GUT MICROBIOME’S ROLE
The human body contains approximately 37.2 trillion cells and around 100 trillion microbes in the gut. These microbes influence nearly every part of the human body, playing crucial roles in health, disease, and, most significantly, the immune system.
This research is answering the age-old question: Why do some treatments work for some patients but not for all?
The answer is becoming clear: the microbiome in our gut influences nearly every part of the human body — for example, heart disease, mental health, and much more.
The researchers highlighted in this NBC article include MD Anderson and Memorial Sloan Kettering doctors whose cutting-edge research our donors have been supporting.
BREAKTHROUGH CASE STUDY
The NBC News story features Tim Story, a 49-year-old high school football coach from Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
His journey began with mysterious side pains that were later diagnosed as intestinal tumors. After surgery, chemotherapy, and immunotherapy failed, he was preparing to say goodbye to his wife, family, and life.
At this critical moment, doctors from MD Anderson offered him an experimental treatment: a fecal transplant from a patient whose advanced cancer had been entirely cured by immunotherapy combined with a fecal transplant using PD-1 inhibitors.
The theory was that the donor’s unique gut bacteria might help jumpstart Story’s immune system to recognize better and fight cancer. While not all trial participants were successful, this approach saved Story’s life.
Like new treatments, dosage, timing, and other variables must be researched to make the treatment more effective.
THE SCIENCE BEHIND PD-1 INHIBITORS
MD Anderson’s approach to curing Mr. Story utilized PD-1 inhibitors. PD-1 inhibitors block deceptive signals from cancer cells to T-cells (which generally kill cancer cells).
These signals trick T-cells into ignoring the cancer. Dr. James Allison of MD Anderson, who received the Nobel Prize in Medicine for this work, discovered that antibodies could block these signals, allowing T-cells to recognize and destroy cancer cells effectively.
These approaches leverage the immune system to fight different cancers, aiming to enhance the effectiveness of the immune system’s response to these treatment methods. PD-1 inhibitors also extended President Carter’s life by several years.
The beauty of these approaches is that they increase the probability of avoiding conventional treatments like chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery.
Pioneering Work in Pediatric Cancer at Memorial Sloan Kettering
While other centers are developing this approach for adults, Memorial Sloan Kettering is leading this research for pediatric patients. With your help, we supported the development of a bivalent vaccine that has reduced the relapse rate for a certain group of children by 50%.
The team at Memorial Sloan Kettering, headed by our medical advisory board member Dr. Shakeel Modak and Dr. Oriana Miltiadous, investigated why some children respond well to the vaccine while others don’t.
NBC News interviewed Dr. Oriana Miltiadous, whose work our donors have supported.
Dr. Miltiadous has identified two bacteria in children’s guts linked to better vaccine outcomes and is now determining how to transfer these microbes to children who lack them.
One approach involves freeze-drying stool containing these microbes and placing them in capsules for transplantation.
THE IMPACT OF YOUR SUPPORT
Your support has advanced pediatric cancer research to the leading edge of medical innovation.
Drs. Shakeel Modak and Oriana Miltiadous are now developing ways of delivering beneficial bacteria to children who could benefit from this groundbreaking treatment — a promising new frontier in pediatric cancer care.
Your support has truly made a difference.
For more information on the NBC article on cancer treatment and gut microbiome transplant success, it can be read at nbcnews.com/health/cancer/cancer-treatment-gut-microbiome-transplant-success-rcna193721.
Frank Kalman is the executive director of End Kids Cancer, a nonprofit aimed at funding cancer treatments for children to help increase survival rates.
