A new study investigates vitamin D’s effect on the gut microbiome and its potential to help cancer immunotherapy work better.
- Over the past few years, researchers have
focused on using vitamin D to prevent and treat different cancers.
- Previous research has looked at using vitamin D
in conjunction with cancer immunotherapy.
- Researchers from The University of Manchester
have found that vitamin D helps balance the gut microbiome, improving the
way cancer immunotherapy treatments work via a mouse model.
Over
the past few years, several studies have focused on using vitamin
D to prevent and treat different types of cancers, including prostate, skin, breast,
and bowel cancers.
Previous
research has also linked high vitamin D levels to a decreased
risk of developing cancer and a reduced cancer mortality rate.
Scientists
have also examinedTrusted Source the
use of vitamin D in conjunction with a newer type of cancer treatment
called immunotherapy.
Now
researchers from the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute at The University
of Manchester in the U.K. have found that vitamin D helps balance the gut
microbiome, improving the way cancer immunotherapy treatments work, via a
mouse model.
The
study was recently published in the journal Science.
Using
immunotherapy to fight cancer
Immunotherapy
is a type of treatment that uses the body’s immune system to help improve its
ability to fight cancer.
Different
types of immunotherapy treatments include monoclonal
antibodiesTrusted Source, immune checkpoint inhibitorsTrusted
Source, immune
system modulatorsTrusted Source, cancer
vaccinesTrusted Source, and adoptive
cell therapiesTrusted Source like CAR T-cell
therapy.
Over
the years, the U.S. FDA has approvedTrusted Source several
immunotherapy treatments for different types of cancers, with more being added
over time.
“Immunotherapy
reinvigorates the body’s immune system to attack cancer cells,” Evangelos Giampazolias, PhD, group leader of the Cancer
Immunosurveillance Group at the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, the
University of Manchester and lead author of this study, explained to Medical News Today.
“Immunotherapy
has revolutionized the treatment of one of the deadliest forms of cancer, metastatic
melanomaTrusted Source, and now is approved as a
forefront treatment in a wide range of malignancies including those of kidneyTrusted Source and lungTrusted Source,” Giampazolias said.
“However,
not all patients respond equally well to this therapy, and only a small group
experience long-lasting (benefits),” Giampazolias continued. “Therefore,
understanding when and how our immune system identifies malignant cells as a
threat is critical for designing therapies that boost its ability to eliminate
cancer,” he added.
How does
vitamin D affect gut health and cancer treatment?
Giampazolias
said that he and his colleagues were intrigued by the fact that the
cancer-protective role of vitamin D was absent in mice treated with antibiotics
or raised in sterile environments without any living microorganisms.
“Based on these (findings) we hypothesized that
vitamin D promotes cancer immunity by influencing the communities of ‘friendly’
microorganisms that live inside the animals, known as (the) microbiome.
We found that vitamin D affects the cells lining the
intestine, causing an increase in the levels of a bacteria called Bacteroides fragilisTrusted Source.”– Evangelos Giampazolias, PhD
According
to Giampazolias, Bacteroides fragilis is a member of a larger community of
microorganisms inhabiting the intestines of mice and humans.
“To
determine if the bacteria alone could improve immunity to cancer, mice on a
diet containing standard levels of vitamin D were given Bacteroides fragilis,”
Giampazolias said. “These mice showed improved ability to resist tumor growth.
However, this effect was not observed when the mice were given (a) diet deficient
in vitamin D.”
“It
is still unclear how Bacteroides fragilis (promotes) anti-cancer immunity but overall, our
findings highlight an unprecedented link between vitamin D and gut microbiome
that influences immune responses to cancer in mice,” he continued. “Further
work is warranted to confirm a possible link between vitamin D and cancer
immunity in humans.”
Potential
new avenues for improving cancer treatment
After
reviewing this study, Anton Bilchik, MD, PhD, surgical oncologist, chief of
medicine, and director of the Gastrointestinal and Hepatobiliary Program at
Providence Saint John’s Cancer Institute in Santa Monica, CA, told MNT this is a
very important study because while doctors have known that vitamin D is
important in preventing cancers, the mechanism has been unclear.
Bilchik
noted:
“This is one of the first studies to suggest that
vitamin D influences a bacteria within our body Bacteroides, which then
influences the immune system to reduce the chance of getting cancer. But even
more important, demonstrates that immunotherapy is likely to be more effective
in the presence of vitamin D. So these are completely novel mechanisms that
have been described.”
MNT also spoke with Shama Farooq, MD, MBBS, a neuro-oncologist at Hackensack
Meridian Neuroscience Institute at Jersey Shore University Medical Center and
assistant professor in the Department of Neurology at Hackensack Meridian
School of Medicine in New Jersey.
Farooq
said these findings suggest a potential link between vitamin D levels, the
microbiome, and cancer immunity, offering potential new avenues for improving
cancer treatment and prevention strategies:
“Continued
research into enhancing the body’s immunity and optimizing immunotherapy is
crucial because cancer is a complex disease with diverse mechanisms of evasion.
By exploring new ways to boost the immune system’s ability to recognize and
destroy cancer cells, researchers can develop more effective and targeted
treatments, ultimately improving patient outcomes and survival rates.”
How much
vitamin D is needed to help lower cancer risk?
Based
on this research, readers may wonder if they should make sure their vitamin D
levels are correct to help potentially lower their cancer risk.
Bilchik
said it’s important for vitamin D levels to be within the normal range, not only
for perhaps the prevention of cancer but also because it plays a very important
role in bone
density, reduction in fracturesTrusted Source, and reducing the chance of osteoporosis.
“Vitamin
D plays many important roles and despite the fact that vitamin D is easily
available through plants, meat, (and the) sun, it’s surprising how many people
are vitamin D deficient,” he added.
According
to the U.S. National Institutes of Health, levels of 50
nanomoles per liter of vitamin D or aboveTrusted
Source are the healthy range for bone and overall health
for most people. Levels below 30 nanomoles per liter or above 125 nanomoles per
liter may cause health issues.
“Based
on this study, readers should consider ensuring their vitamin D levels are
adequate as part of a comprehensive approach to potentially lowering their risk
of cancer,” Farooq said. “While more research is needed to fully understand the
relationship, maintaining optimal levels of vitamin D is generally beneficial
for overall health and may contribute to reducing cancer risk.”
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