This ‘poop pill’ could be a breakthrough for cancer that only has a 10% survival rate
They’re taking the plunge.
A small number of Canadian cancer patients are testing a pill that contains healthy bacteria from human poop to see if it can extend their lives.
“Pancreatic cancer has a poor survival rate of approximately 10% over five years,” medical oncologist Dr. John Lenehan said. “Through this study, we aim to offer a new, innovative treatment to patients.”
Cancerous tumors are believed to have a collection of bacteria, viruses and fungi that help the disease defend itself from treatments like chemotherapy.
Fecal transplants, which are usually done by colonoscopy, help restore healthy gut bacteria.
Early studies suggest that fecal transplants delivered via an oral capsule known as LND101 could alter the microbial composition of tumors and make the body better able to fight advanced pancreatic cancer.
Lenehan’s team is launching a two-year Phase 1 clinical trial involving 20 patients at the Verspeeten Family Cancer Centre at London Health Sciences Centre.
Scat from healthy donors is processed in the lab to generate tasteless, odorless pills. The hope is to enhance the patients’ healthy microorganisms to boost their immune response and potentially make chemotherapy more effective.
“We will study how the gut bacteria of pancreatic cancer patients change after treatment with fecal transplants using the capsules and how this affects their immune system,” said Saman Maleki, a scientist at the London Health Sciences Centre Research Institute (LHSCRI).
“Our goal is to determine whether a successful shift in the gut microbiome is connected to a better response to chemotherapy.”
“Poop pills” are not new. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved Vowst, the first pill form of fecal transplant therapy, in 2023.
LND101 pills have already shown promise in advanced melanoma, lung cancer and renal cell carcinoma, the LHSCRI researchers said, and they hope to achieve similar success with late-stage pancreatic cancer.
Pancreatic cancer is often discovered in advanced stages because it doesn’t usually cause symptoms until it has spread to organs beyond the pancreas, limiting treatment approaches.
About 67,400 Americans will be diagnosed with pancreatic cancer this year and nearly 52,000 will die from the disease, the American Cancer Society projected.
The LHSCRI team is seeking poop donors. If you’re interested, email Liesl De Silva at Liesl.DeSilva@sjhc.london.on.ca or call (519) 646-6100, ext. 65739.
