Gut microbiome functionality might be associated with exercise tolerance and recurrence of resected early-stage lung cancer patients

Abstract

Impaired exercise tolerance and lung function is a marker for increased mortality in lung cancer patients undergoing lung resection surgery. Recent data suggest that the gut-lung axis regulates systemic metabolic and immune functions, and microbiota might alter exercise tolerance. Here, we aimed to evaluate the associations between gut microbiota and outcomes in lung cancer patients who underwent lung resection surgery. We analysed stool samples, from 15 early-stage lung cancer patients, collected before and after surgical resection using shotgun metagenomic and Internal Transcribed Spacer (ITS) sequencing. We analysed microbiome and mycobiome associations with post-surgery lung function and cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) to assess the maximum level of work achieved. There was a significant difference, between pre- and post-surgical resection samples, in microbial community functional profiles and several species from Alistipes and Bacteroides genus, associated with the production of SCFAs, increased significantly in abundance. Interestingly, an increase in VO2 coincides with an increase in certain species and the "GABA shunt" pathway, suggesting that treatment outcome might improve by enriching butyrate-producing species. Here, we revealed associations between specific gut bacteria, fungi, and their metabolic pathways with the recovery of lung function and exercise capacity.

Vitamin A deficiency suppresses CEACAM1 to impair colonic epithelial barrier function via downregulating microbial-derived short-chain fatty acids

“…3 C). At the genus level, Romboutsia 23 , Collinsella 24 , and Allobaculum 25 among the SCFA-producing bacteria decreased and Bacteroides 26 increased in the VAD group ( Fig. 3 D).…”

Effects of Osimertinib Combined With Pulmonary Rehabilitation and Health Care Training on Pulmonary Function, Complications, and Quality of Life in Patients After Radical Resection of Lung Cancer

“…In general, postoperative chemotherapy for patients with SCLC can often obtain an ideal therapeutic effect, but the chemotherapy effect in patients with NSCLC is not very clear,; patients with the feeble constitution, poor bone marrow function, or dysfunction in vital organs are especially unsuitable for chemotherapy (21)(22)(23)(24). Patients with NSCLC with the EGFR gene mutation even get worse after chemotherapy, so patients with NSCLC should be careful with chemotherapy and look for more effective treatment methods.…”

Fungi and cancer

“…To the best of our knowledge, only one study to date has assessed treatment response in the context of surgical resection as treatment. In a lung cancer patient cohort lung function and cardiopulmonary exercise testing parameters were used as proxy readouts for the extent and success of surgical excision 125. ITS2 sequencing of the gut mycobiome before and after surgical resection detected 16 fungal species that strongly correlated with lung function and cardiopulmonary exercise capacity parameters.…”