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Colon Cancer- gut microbiome testing?
Gut microbiome testing? My name is Bernie Davis. I am a newly diagnosed colon cancer patient. My understanding is that my gut microbiome is important. How is it important? How do I know if my microbiome is healthy or not?
I am a layperson. I had never heard of “gut microbiome testing” until my colon cancer diagnosis. I don’t mind telling you all that I have NO IDEA what I’m doing when it comes to gut microbiome testing.
As I’ve mentioned, I had surgery to remove the tumor in my colon. PeopleBeatingCancer tells me that a growing number of studies document how a healthy gut microbiome can enhance the efficacy of chemotherapy while it reduces the risk of side effects.
Needless to say, that sounded good to me. The problem is that I don’t know what a healthy microbiome is and I don’t know how to figure out if my microbiome is healthy. After all, I was just diagnosed with colon cancer. So I don’t think that my gut was healthy enough to protect me from colon cancer in the first place…
I went to ChatGPT, typed in my situation and what I’m looking for and the info below is what ChatGPT spit out.
Here is a practical summary of how a stage III colon cancer survivor (post-surgery, no adjuvant chemo) can use gut microbiome testing as part of a long-term recovery and relapse-prevention plan.
🧫 Gut Microbiome Testing for Colon Cancer Survivors
Goal: Support gut recovery, reduce inflammation, and identify modifiable relapse risks through personalized diet and probiotic strategies.
1. Recommended Testing Options
Choose tests that use shotgun metagenomic sequencing (more precise than 16S).
Reliable, patient-accessible options include:
| Test | Strengths | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| BiomeFx (Microbiome Labs) | Measures key cancer-related taxa (e.g., Fusobacterium nucleatum, Akkermansia) and SCFA pathways | Clinically oriented, high reproducibility |
| Thorne Gut Health Test | Good for tracking diversity, inflammation markers, and beneficial bacteria | Easy-to-interpret scoring system |
| Viome Full Gut Intelligence Test | Provides metabolic function insights (SCFA, bile acid metabolism) | Offers diet recommendations, though proprietary |
| Ombre (formerly Thryve) | Budget-friendly option for diversity and abundance tracking | Less functional depth |
Tip: Avoid older 16S-only tests unless used for general trends — they lack resolution at the strain level.
2. Biomarkers and Bacterial Targets to Watch
These findings have the strongest research ties to colon cancer recurrence risk and gut health recovery:
| Protective Markers (Higher = Better) | Risk Markers (Lower or Higher = Concern) |
|---|---|
| Faecalibacterium prausnitzii | Fusobacterium nucleatum |
| Akkermansia muciniphila | Enterotoxigenic Bacteroides fragilis |
| Roseburia, Ruminococcus, Eubacterium rectale | E. coli (pks+ colibactin-producing strains) |
| Bifidobacterium longum / B. breve | Low overall microbial diversity |
| Butyrate production genes (SCFA pathways) | High LPS-producing gram-negative species |
Functional markers to review:
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Butyrate and propionate synthesis capacity
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Bile acid metabolism (balance between deconjugating and detoxifying species)
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Intestinal permeability markers (e.g., Akkermansia levels, mucin degradation pathways)
3. Interpreting the Results
Once you receive your report, look for:
| Category | Interpretation Example | Action |
|---|---|---|
| Low diversity | < 50th percentile overall | Increase fiber variety (20–30 plant types/week) |
| Low butyrate producers | Reduced Faecalibacterium or Roseburia | Add resistant starch, oat bran, or prebiotics (PHGG, inulin) |
| Low Akkermansia | Below reference range | Add polyphenol foods (pomegranate, green tea, cranberries) |
| High Fusobacterium | Detected at >1% relative abundance | Focus on anti-inflammatory diet, avoid excess red meat, consider probiotic competition (e.g., Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG) |
4. Suggested Follow-Up Plan
| Timeline | Goal | Actions |
|---|---|---|
| Baseline (now) | Assess post-surgical gut status | Test and record key taxa/diversity |
| After 3–6 months of diet/probiotic adjustment | Evaluate response | Repeat test to track changes |
| Annually | Long-term maintenance | Ensure stability and diversity recovery |
5. Complementary Interventions Based on Findings
| Finding | Evidence-Backed Supports |
|---|---|
| Low butyrate-producing species | Resistant starches, oat bran, inulin, PHGG, cooked-and-cooled potatoes |
| Low Akkermansia | Pomegranate extract, green tea polyphenols, cranberry, curcumin |
| Dysbiosis after antibiotics | Short-term multi-strain probiotics (Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG, Bifidobacterium breve) + prebiotic fiber |
| Low microbial diversity | Mediterranean-style or plant-diverse diet; avoid ultra-processed foods |
| Elevated Fusobacterium or E. coli (pks+) | Garlic, omega-3s, curcumin, and limiting red/processed meats |
6. Limitations
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Microbiome testing is informational, not diagnostic.
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No test yet predicts recurrence independently of standard oncology follow-up.
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Should be interpreted with an oncologist or integrative practitioner familiar with cancer microbiome data.
✅ Key Takeaways
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Microbiome testing provides actionable insights for tailoring diet, supplements, and probiotics to your personal gut ecosystem.
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Tracking your microbiome every 6–12 months can help guide relapse-prevention and gut-healing strategies.
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Focus on restoring diversity, butyrate production, and mucosal integrity — these are the microbiome features most consistently linked to colon cancer protection.
I have to say that Artificial Intelligence appears to be useful to me in managing my colon cancer. I will keep you posted about what I learn about gut microbiome testing and the info above.
Are you a colon cancer survivor? What do you know about gut microbiome testing? Is the info above accurate? Scroll down the page, post a question or comment and I will reply to you ASAP.
thanks,
- Bernie Davis
- Colon Cancer Survivor