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Lung Cancer, Keytruda, and your Gut Microbiome
How are lung cancer, Keytruda, and your gut microbiome related? To be clear, immunotherapy regimens such as Keytruda (pembrolizumab) can be effective therapies for lung cancer patients. The research linked below cites your gut microbiome as potentially enhancing the efficacy of Keytruda while minimizing its adverse events.
You may be asking yourself 1) what is my gut microbiome, and 2) how do I “enhance” my gut microbiome???
In the video below, Dr. Tim Spector discusses the importance of gut health in general. Not just for cancer patients. I linked it below because the video is one of the best explanations of gut health I’ve seen. And how to enhance the gut microbiome.
The 5 things you NEED to know for better GUT HEALTH
Living with an incurable cancer (not lung cancer) since early 1994 has taught me that conventional oncology has… limitations. Your oncologist will focus on treating your lung cancer with FDA-approved therapies such as Keytruda. Don’t be surprised if your oncologist doesn’t speak to the issue of your gut microbiome. Nutrition, supplementation, and complementary therapies in general simply is not in your onc’s wheelhouse.
If you have questions about complementary therapies such as your gut microbiome, scroll down the page, post a question or comment and I will reply to you ASAP.
David Emerson
- Cancer Survivor
- Cancer Coach
- Director PeopleBeatingCancer
AI Overview
Keytruda (pembrolizumab) is a significant immunotherapy for Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) (NSCLC) and Small Cell Lung Cancer (SCLC), used alone or with chemotherapy for various stages, boosting the immune system to fight cancer, especially when tumors express the PD-L1 protein, preventing recurrence in early stages, and treating advanced disease. It’s given intravenously and helps many patients, but can cause side effects like fatigue, cough, and immune-related issues, requiring close monitoring.
How Keytruda and Keytruda Qlex Work for Lung Cancer
Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and Keytruda Qlex (pembrolizumab/berahyaluronidase alfa) are prescription medicines for a type of lung cancer called non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Keytruda is a type of cancer treatment called immunotherapy. Immunotherapy works by using the body’s immune system to fight cancer cells. Keytruda is the first immunotherapy called a checkpoint inhibitor approved for first‐line treatment of lung cancer…
How Does Keytruda Work for NSCLC?
Some cancer cells have what are called checkpoint proteins known as PD-L1 on their cell surface. The immune cells in our bodies also have proteins on their surface. When these proteins bind to each other, the T cells in our body get turned “off,” which stops them from killing cancer cells. Keytruda acts on proteins on the T cell called PD-1 and prevents these proteins from binding to PD-L1 proteins on the tumor cell. This turns the T cell back “on” and allows it to do its job of attacking and killing the tumor cell.
Gut microbiome changes and cancer immunotherapy outcomes associated with dietary interventions: a systematic review of preclinical and clinical evidence
Introduction
Cancer patient’s survival has gradually improved due to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Several studies showed a possible association between the intestinal microbiome and ICI efficacy. Strategies for modifying the composition of the gut microbiome encompass various dietary interventions, which may have distinct impacts on the outcomes of ICI-treated patients. In our systematic review, we explored how dietary habits correlate with therapeutic responses in cancer patients and cancer mouse models undergoing immunotherapy…
Results
Nineteen articles met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review (6 prospective cohort studies, 1 cross-sectional observational study, and 12 mouse studies). A consistent association was observed between high (vs. low) fiber consumption and improved therapeutic response with a pooled odds ratio of 5.79 when including all human prospective cohort studies.
In mice, limited availability of methionine, cysteine, and low intake of leucine and glutamine was linked to reduced tumor progression. Combining ICIs with intermittent fasting or a fasting-mimicking diet significantly decreased tumor volume in mouse melanoma models.
In humans, a higher relative abundance of short-chain fatty acid (SCFA) and lactic acid-producing bacteria—particularly Faecalibacterium prausnitzii and Akkermansia muciniphila—correlated with objective response rates (ORR). Similar microbiome alterations were observed in mouse models. Increased fiber intake enhanced ICI efficacy in mice by modulating the gut microbiome, primarily via elevated SCFA production—an effect also reflected in human studies.
Conclusion
Intermittent fasting, high fiber, and low sugar consumption are significantly associated with better ICI outcomes. The studies revealed alterations in microbiota composition linked to diet, and these findings were confirmed in animal models, regarding the production of SCFAs and lactic acid, as well as an increase in Bacteroidota/Bacillota ratio and microbial diversity.
lung cancer Keytruda and your gut microbiome lung cancer Keytruda and your gut microbiome