The more “this” in the stool, the better the prognosis for colon cancer…”Increase with vegetarian diet”

A joint research team led by Park Ji-won, professor of colorectal surgery at Seoul National University Hospital, Kim Ji-hyun, Yonsei University professor of systems biology, and Dr. Heo Ji-won, analyzed the association between colon cancer and gut microbes in 333 patients undergoing colorectal cancer surgery (resection of the primary tumor).

The research team collected stool samples from colorectal cancer patients within two weeks before surgery, performed next-generation gene sequencing, and looked at the prognosis for about three years after surgery. Consequently, the higher the amount of “prevotella”, a representative intestinal microorganism, the higher the “progression-free survival” (PFS), in which the cancer does not progress further.

Freevotella is a microorganism that is mainly found in eastern countries where vegetarians eat. The research team explained, “The results of this study may be scientific evidence supporting the positive association between vegetarianism and colorectal cancer prognosis.”

On the other hand, the prognosis of colorectal cancer worsened when Fuzobacterium, a representative pathogenic microorganism, was present. Furthermore, the research team found that the production of vitamin B1 by microorganisms can improve the prognosis of colorectal cancer and has a high correlation with the number of apoptotic immune cells in the gut.

Professor Park Ji-won said: ‘It is significant as it suggests that gut microbes can also be used to predict the prognosis of colorectal cancer.

The results of this research, supported by the Korea Cancer Research Foundation, the National Research Foundation of Korea and the Yonsei Signature Research Cluster Project, have been published in the latest issue of Microbiome, an international journal in the field of microbiological research.

Ji-won Park, professor of colorectal surgery at Seoul National University Hospital, Ji-hyeon Kim, professor of systems biology at Yonsei University, and Ji-won Huh, PhD student (=provided by Seoul National University Hospital)

ksj@news1.kr