Could Poop Pills Be a Secret Weapon Against Cancer?
Gizmodo • • health
Key Points:
- Two small Canadian trials published in Nature Medicine found that fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT), delivered via oral pills, can enhance the effectiveness and reduce side effects of immunotherapy in cancer patients.
- In a Phase I trial with metastatic kidney cancer patients, FMT reduced immunotherapy side effects and showed a higher treatment response rate than usual, though the study was not primarily designed to assess effectiveness.
- A Phase II trial involving advanced lung cancer and melanoma patients reported a 75% to 80% response rate to combined FMT and immunotherapy, significantly higher than the typical 39% to 45% response rate.
- While the trials are small and preliminary, researchers emphasize the potential of FMT to improve cancer treatment outcomes and
