Can fecal transplants improve treatments for deadly type of cancer?

Studies are underway to test whether fecal transplants can help with other bowel disorders, including ulcerative colitis. For the latest

London, Ont. -

Pancreatic cancer is known to be a difficult form of cancer to treat, but scientists at Lawson Health Research Institute (Lawson) are studying new forms of treatment and the secret may come from an unexpected source.

The team of researchers is now looking at fecal transplants, yes that means poop, and the microbiome in the gut as a possible way to improve treatment outcomes.

“Pancreatic cancer is very hard to treat, partially because when it’s detected, the cancer is usually in a later stage and spreads very quickly,” explains Dr. John Lenehan, with London Health Sciences and Lawson. “Our best chemotherapy treatments for the average patient, will give them a little less than a year to live.”

The study is being led by Dr. Saman Maleki with Lawson and the team is looking at if changing the guy microbiome through fecal transplants can get a better response to cancer treatments.

“We know that the microbiome plays an important role in patients’ response to various forms of systemic treatments such as immunotherapy and chemotherapy for different cancers,” says Dr. Maleki.

Fecal transplants involve collecting stool from a healthy donor, preparing it in a lab and safely transplanting it to the patient with a capsule.

The idea is that healthy bacteria will colonize in the patient’s gut.

“If you think of microbiome, each bacterium is like a little factory and all together they are a giant factory within us producing things we need,” explains Dr. Jeremy Burton, with Lawson who specializes in human microbiome research.

“Over time, a person’s diet, medications, and lifestyle can change the microbiome and it can have a big impact to the rest of our body.”

The world first study will be done in three stages. The first phase will be to examine fecal samples of 52 patients with advanced pancreatic cancer.

The second stage will use the samples from these patients in preclinical models to test new combinations of treatments.

The final stage will work on intervention through human clinical trials by modifying a patient’s microbiome with a fecal transplant prior to treatment.

The team is recruiting both pancreatic cancer patients, as well as healthy volunteers for fecal transplant samples. Those interested in helping with fecal transplant donations can contact Dr. Seema Parvathy at 519-646-6100 ext. 61726 or email seemanair@[e-mail]