Cancer patients with high levels of good gut Likely to respond to immunotherapy

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Cancer patients with high levels of good gut bacteria appear more likely to respond to immunotherapy, potentially opening up a new way to optimize the use of modern medicines that are highly effective but only work in some people.

The finding, reported in two scientific papers on Thursday, suggests patients may in future be told to actively nurture their good bugs when taking so-called PD-1 drugs like Merck & Co's Keytruda or Bristol-Myers Squibb's Opdivo.

The twin publications in the journal Science are the latest examples of the importance of the microbiome - the vast community of microbes living inside us - which has been linked to everything from digestive disorders to depression.

"You can change your microbiome, it's really not that difficult, so we think these findings open up huge new opportunities," said Jennifer Wargo of the MD Anderson Cancer Center in Texas, one of the study authors.

Options for manipulating the microbiome including changes in diet, avoiding antibiotics, taking probiotics or - less appetizingly - receiving a fecal transplant, either as a capsule or by enema.

Good bacteria seem to help in cancer by priming immune cells and smoothing the path for PD-1 drugs that work by taking the brakes off the immune system.

Such immunotherapy drugs are revolutionizing cancer care, but only around 20 to 30 percent of patients respond, prompting a race by scientists and drug companies to find better ways to identify those who will benefit.