The studycovered in this summary was published on researchsquare.com as a preprint and has not yet been peer reviewed.
Key Takeaway
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Gut microbiota appear to play a role in both the severity of oral mucositis and the rate of tumor recurrence after radiation therapy for head and neck cancer (HNC).
Why This Matters
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Although it is becoming clear that the gut microbiome can influence radiation therapy, immunotherapy, and chemotherapy outcomes, its influence in head and neck cancer has not been previously reported.
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The findings begin to define the role of gut microbiota in HNC and, if confirmed, identify microbial populations suitable for probiotic preconditioning to optimize radiation outcomes.
Study Design
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The team analyzed the microbial composition of stool samples from 20 patients with HNC before radiation therapy and correlated the results with oral mucositis severity and tumor recurrence.
Key Results
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About half of patients developed grade 3-4 oral mucositis.
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Six pro-inflammatory bacterial genera were enriched in patients with severe oral mucositis, with Eubacterium, Victivallis, and Ruminococcus most significantly increased.
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Of 17 patients analyzed, tumors recurred in three (18%); these patients had cancers of the oropharynx, nasal cavity, or salivary glands.
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Patients who did not have recurrence had a significantly higher abundance of Faecalibacterium, Prevotella, and Phascolarctobacterium, three genera that have previously been linked to better immunotherapy outcomes in patients with melanoma and non–small cell lung cancer.
Limitations
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This was a small study with substantial differences between patients, including differences in tumor sites and treatments.
Disclosures
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The study was supported by the Royal Adelaide Hospital.
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The investigators had no disclosures.
This is a summary of a preprint research study, “Baseline Gut Microbiota Composition Is Associated With Oral Mucositis and Tumor Recurrence in Patients With Head And Neck Cancer: A Pilot Study,” led by Ghanyah Al-Qadami of the University of Adelaide, provided to you by Medscape. The study has not been peer reviewed. The full text can be found at researchsquare.com.
M. Alexander Otto is a physician assistant with a master’s degree in medical science and a journalism degree from Newhouse. He is an award-winning medical journalist who has worked for several major news outlets before joining Medscape and also an MIT Knight Science Journalism fellow. Email: [email protected]. Email: [email protected]
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