Microbiota composition, as a marker of responsiveness to chemotherapy, and use of microbial modulators (pre-, pro- or synbiotics) for improving the efficacy of a cancer treatment
The present invention provides methods for determining if a patient is likely to benefit from a cancer treatment, by determining if said patient has a gut dysbiosis with an over representation of certain bacterial species. The present invention also provides probiotic strains to improve the efficacy of a cancer treatment, especially chemotherapy, in patients in need thereof.
1. A method of treating cancer in a cancer patient, said method comprising administering a dose of an anticancer chemotherapeutic agent to said patient, wherein the patient is pre-treated with an antibiotic composition and wherein the chemotherapeutic agent is cyclophosphamide (CTX) and the antibiotic composition is a combination selected from the group consisting of neomycin+cephalothin and vancomycin+imipenem.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein the antibiotic composition potentiates the anticancer effects of the CTX chemotherapeutic agent.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein the cancer patient is a human.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein the antibiotic composition is a combination of neomycin+cephalothin and said combination modulates the gut microbiota of the patient by specifically augmenting segmented filamentous bacteria (SFB).
5. The method of claim 1 , wherein the antibiotic composition is a combination of vancomycin+imipenem and said combination modulates the gut microbiota of the patient by specifically augmenting Porphyromonas.