'Stool Capsules' Boost Cancer Treatment..."8 Out of 10 Lung Cancer Patients Respond"

Stool-Based FMT Capsules Aid Cancer Treatment
Boosting Immunotherapy Effectiveness While Reducing Side Effects

A study has found that pill-based treatment using stool from healthy individuals can enhance the effectiveness of cancer therapy and reduce side effects during treatment.

AI-extracted image of a person taking a pill

According to the New York Post in the United States, a Canadian research team reported in a paper published in the international journal Nature Medicine that fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) capsules may improve the efficacy of immunotherapy for cancer and alleviate toxic side effects. These FMT capsules, sometimes referred to as "crapsules," are made by freeze-drying stool from healthy donors and are intended to restore balance to the gut microbiome.

The first phase of the study was conducted by researchers at the London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute (LHSCRI) and the Lawson Health Research Institute in Canada. The team focused on evaluating the safety of combining FMT with immune checkpoint inhibitors used to treat kidney cancer.

When the researchers analyzed data from 20 kidney cancer patients, they found that personalized FMT could help mitigate severe side effects that occur during immunotherapy.

Saman Maleki, a researcher at LHSCRI, explained, "Standard treatment for advanced kidney cancer includes immunotherapy, but this treatment often causes serious side effects such as colitis or diarrhea, which frequently force patients to stop therapy," adding, "If we can reduce toxic side effects so that patients can complete treatment, it would be a game changer."

The second phase of the research was led by a team at the Centre de Recherche du Centre Hospitalier de l'Université de Montréal (CRCHUM). They evaluated whether FMT could enhance the response to immunotherapy in patients with lung cancer and melanoma.

The results showed that 80% of lung cancer patients who received FMT alongside immunotherapy responded to treatment, whereas the response rate in the group receiving immunotherapy alone was only 39% to 45%. Among melanoma patients, the response rate was 75% in the FMT combination group, higher than the 50% to 58% seen in the monotherapy group.

Ariel Elkrief, co-principal investigator at CRCHUM, stated, "Through this clinical trial, we confirmed that FMT can improve the effectiveness of immunotherapy in patients with lung cancer and melanoma," and added, "It is possible that this effect is related to FMT's ability to eliminate harmful gut bacteria."

The researchers believe these findings could pave the way for future personalized microbiome therapies. Both studies used FMT capsules manufactured at the Lawson Health Research Institute in London, Ontario, Canada, and these capsules were produced from the stool of healthy donors.

The team commented, "It is highly significant that, in kidney cancer treatment, FMT can reduce drug toxicity, improve quality of life, and at the same time enhance treatment response," noting that "this is the first attempt of its kind."

The researchers are currently conducting additional clinical trials to evaluate the effects of FMT in patients with pancreatic cancer and triple-negative breast cancer. Lead investigator Dr. Ricardo Fernandez said, "We hope this research will help extend survival for cancer patients and reduce treatment-related side effects."

FMT is not a new therapy. It has been used in humans since 1958 and in animals for roughly 100 years. In 2022, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved FMT for the treatment of Clostridium difficile (C. diff) infections. This approach is also being studied for various conditions such as ulcerative colitis and Crohn's disease, as well as for anti-aging therapies.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.