The Impact of Gut Microbiome and Probiotics on Chemotherapy Response in Ovarian Cancer Patients

Project summary

Ovarian cancer is the top cause of gynecologic cancer death in the United States. Recent research shows that human health is influenced by the microbiome, an extensive collection of microorganisms, including bacteria, that inhabit our bodies. The microbiome has been linked with the development and treatment of gynecologic cancers. Probiotic supplements contain bacteria with positive effects on the human body. In prior research, probiotics have decreased chemotherapy side effects, improved immune function, and had anti-cancer activities. Still, the effectiveness of probiotics in patients with ovarian cancer is unknown.

In this proposal, we will study giving probiotics to patients with ovarian cancer treated with chemotherapy and assess quality of life and tolerance. Secondly, we will evaluate whether probiotic therapy leads to meaningful changes to the gut microbiome and compare how this relates to a patient’s response to cancer treatment. Lastly, we will use innovative pre-clinical animal models using patients’ microbiomes and assess the specific changes in a tumor and blood to understand how probiotics could treat cancer and improve patient outcomes. This study will deepen our understanding of the relationship between ovarian cancer, the microbiome, and probiotics. It offers hope to patients and providers that the microbiome could be targeted through personalized probiotic interventions to improve ovarian cancer patients’ quality of life and survival.