"Nurse Ralph is here to pack your feces"
Posted on 07/09/2023 7:49:10 PM PDT by ConservativeMind
In a world-first clinical trial, a multi-center study has found fecal microbiota transplants (FMT) from healthy donors are safe and show promise in improving response to immunotherapy in patients with advanced melanoma.
Immunotherapy drugs stimulate a person's immune system to attack and destroy cancer. While they can significantly improve survival outcomes in those with melanoma, they are only effective in 40 to 50 percent of patients. Preliminary research has suggested that the human microbiome—the diverse collection of microbes in our body—may play a role in whether or not a patient responds.
"In this study, we aimed to improve melanoma patients' response to immunotherapy by improving the health of their microbiome through fecal transplants," says Dr. John Lenehan.
The phase I trial included 20 melanoma patients. Patients were administered approximately 40 fecal transplant capsules orally during a single session, one week before they started immunotherapy treatment.
The study found that combining fecal transplants with immunotherapy is safe for patients—which is the primary objective of a phase I trial (also called 'safety trials'). The study also found 65 percent of patients who retained the donors' microbiome had a clinical response to the combination treatment. Five patients experienced adverse events sometimes associated with immunotherapy and had their treatment discontinued.
"We have reached a plateau in treating melanoma with immunotherapy, but the microbiome has the potential to be a paradigm shift," says Dr. Bertrand Routy. "This study puts Canada at the forefront of microbiome research by showing we can safely improve patients' response to immunotherapy through fecal transplants."
(Excerpt) Read more at medicalxpress.com ...
FMT has value, but it is rapidly becoming fodder for snake oil label.
A diseased gut cannot be healed via FMT. Self-induced or progressive gastroenterological disease is much more complicated and even beyond the small brains of those who proclaim themselves as gastroenterologists.
But I want to be clear: Before tissue damage occurs, a diseased gut is entirely reversible. I know from personal experience, but most people are incapable of coping with the requirements for healing, and all so-called ‘doctors’ want to do is dispense pills, dietary advice or invasive, life-changing (and highly profitable) surgical procedures.
They are vastly overstating the applications for a treatment which originated from desperate patients fighting medical orthodoxy. It wasn’t so long ago that you could only find online videos about FMT.
Someday they’ll pull their collective heads out of their backsides, but I won’t hold my breath: The late Dr. Orian Truss was a mid-20th century visionary and medical outcast, never having been recognized for his discoveries.
Looking for a side hustle…
What’s the going rate for donors these days?
We have a FReeper who does this.
I seem to recall it was at least $200 an occasion.
Hmmm
Sorta takes the sting outta ESAD...
Fecal Transplant = Build Back Better
>
In the General/Chat forum, on a thread titled Fecal transplants show promise in improving melanoma treatment (65% versus 40-50% response rates), Vaduz wrote:
Fecal Transplant = Build Back Better<
Great reply
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