Intestinal microbiota influences clinical outcome and side effects of early breast cancer treatment Original paper
Researched by:
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Karen Pendergrass
ID
Karen Pendergrass
Karen Pendergrass is a microbiome researcher specializing in microbiome-targeted interventions (MBTIs). She systematically analyzes scientific literature to identify microbial patterns, develop hypotheses, and validate interventions. As the founder of the Microbiome Signatures Database, she bridges microbiome research with clinical practice. In 2012, based on her own investigative research, she became the first documented case of FMT for Celiac Disease—four years before the first published case study.
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Women’s Health
Women’s Health
Women’s health, a vital aspect of medical science, encompasses various conditions unique to women’s physiological makeup. Historically, women were often excluded from clinical research, leading to a gap in understanding the intricacies of women’s health needs. However, recent advancements have highlighted the significant role that the microbiome plays in these conditions, offering new insights and potential therapies. MicrobiomeSignatures.com is at the forefront of exploring the microbiome signature of each of these conditions to unravel the etiology of these diseases and develop targeted microbiome therapies.
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Breast Cancer
Breast Cancer
Traditionally linked to genetic predispositions and environmental exposures, emerging evidence highlights the microbiome as a critical and underappreciated factor influencing breast cancer progression, immune response, and treatment outcomes.
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Kimberly Eyer
Kimberly Eyer, a Registered Nurse with 30 years of nursing experience across diverse settings, including Home Health, ICU, Operating Room Nursing, and Research. Her roles have encompassed Operating Room Nurse, RN First Assistant, and Acting Director of a Same Day Surgery Center. Her specialty areas include Adult Cardiac Surgery, Congenital Cardiac Surgery, Vascular Surgery, and Neurosurgery.
Researched by:
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Karen Pendergrass
ID
Karen Pendergrass
Microbiome Signatures identifies and validates condition-specific microbiome shifts and interventions to accelerate clinical translation. Our multidisciplinary team supports clinicians, researchers, and innovators in turning microbiome science into actionable medicine.
Karen Pendergrass
What was studied?
This study examined the impact of intestinal microbiota on the clinical outcomes and side effects of early breast cancer (BC) treatments. Shotgun metagenomics was used to analyze fecal microbiota samples from 76 early BC patients, both pre- and post-chemotherapy. The study aimed to identify specific microbial species associated with BC prognosis and the side effects of chemotherapy, focusing on neurological, gastrointestinal, and metabolic complications. It also explored the functional relevance of gut microbiota in immunocompetent mouse models colonized with BC patient microbiota to establish a causal link between gut microbial composition and tumor growth or therapy efficacy.
Who was studied?
The study involved 76 female BC patients from the CANTO trial (NCT01993498), a long-term prospective cohort designed to quantify and prevent treatment-related toxicities. Patients provided fecal samples before and after chemotherapy, and their plasma was also analyzed for metabolomics. A separate analysis included healthy volunteers (54 Italian and 282 samples from public metagenomes) to contrast microbial signatures. Mouse models were humanized with fecal microbiota from patients and healthy individuals to assess the causal relationship between microbiota and BC outcomes.
What were the most important findings?
The study revealed that the gut microbiota composition significantly correlates with BC prognosis and treatment side effects. Patients with more aggressive tumors (larger size, advanced stage, lymph node involvement) had overrepresentation of species like Clostridiaceae, Veillonella, Bacteroides uniformis, and Blautia wexlerae.In contrast, patients with better prognosis had higher levels of Akkermansia muciniphila, Collinsella aerofaciens, and Eubacterium rectale. Chemotherapy shifted microbial diversity, reducing bacteria associated with poor prognosis and increasing favorable commensals like Methanobrevibacter smithii and Blautia obeum. Functionally, favorable microbiota patterns were linked to neuroprotective and immunomodulatory pathways, such as polyamine biosynthesis and ketogenesis, while unfavorable profiles were associated with inflammation and metabolic dysregulation. Humanized mouse models demonstrated that fecal microbiota from healthy volunteers enhanced tumor response to chemotherapy compared to microbiota from BC patients.
What are the greatest implications of this study?
This study underscores the gut microbiota’s role as a biomarker and potential therapeutic target in BC management. The findings suggest that monitoring and modulating gut microbiota could optimize chemotherapy efficacy, mitigate side effects, and improve overall prognosis. Strategies like fecal microbiota transplantation, probiotics, or diet interventions targeting specific microbiota shifts may hold promise. The causal evidence provided by mouse models highlights the translational potential of microbiome-targeted interventions (MBTIs) to improve clinical outcomes for breast cancer patients.
Breast Cancer
Traditionally linked to genetic predispositions and environmental exposures, emerging evidence highlights the microbiome as a critical and underappreciated factor influencing breast cancer progression, immune response, and treatment outcomes.
Microbiome-Targeted Interventions (MBTIs)
Microbiome Targeted Interventions (MBTIs) are cutting-edge treatments that utilize information from Microbiome Signatures to modulate the microbiome, revolutionizing medicine with unparalleled precision and impact.