1. Introduction
colorectal cancer, death, cancers, tumor, nausea, acid reflux, CRC, abdominal pain, abdominal distention, diarrhea, cancer, tumors, constipation, gastrointestinal complications, Gastrointestinal complications
COLORECTAL CANCER, CANCERS, TUMOR, INFLAMMATORY RESPONSES, CANCER, INFLAMMATION, TUMORS, MALIGNANT TUMORS, GASTROINTESTINAL COMPLICATIONS, COLORECTAL CANCER, TUMOR GROWTH, GASTROINTESTINAL COMPLICATIONS
These authors contributed equally to this work.The current study aims to evaluate the potential roles of taking probiotics postoperatively in attenuating the gastrointestinal complications and disturbed gut microbiota in colorectal cancer (CRC) patients undergoing chemotherapy. One hundred eligible CRC patients who were treated with radical surgery and needed to receive chemotherapy were recruited. Half of them were randomly assigned to the Probio group to take a probiotic combination from post-operation to the end of the first chemotherapeutic course. The other half of patients taking placebo instead were classified as the Placebo group. Gastrointestinal complications such as nausea, acid reflux, abdominal pain, abdominal distention, constipation, and diarrhea were recorded during chemotherapy. Fecal samples were collected preoperatively and after the first cycle of postoperative chemotherapy for 16S rRNA high-throughput sequencing and short-chain fatty acids (SCFAs) analysis. Results showed that probiotics administration could effectively reduce chemotherapy-induced gastrointestinal complications, particularly in diarrhea (Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the world population’s most common malignant tumors of the digestive tract. Statistical data based on epidemiological status shows that the incidence of CRC firmly places it in the third spot for the most common cancer, and the mortality rate ranks fourth for the most common cause of death in cancers [The common adjuvant chemotherapy can be a double-edged sword. On the one hand, it plays a crucial role in the control and treatment of cancers such as CRC by inhibiting both tumor growth and cancer development in CRC [Probiotics, live microorganisms characterized by their health-promoting benefits in improving gut ecosystems, enhancing immunity, suppressing tumors, and inhibiting inflammation, have attracted our attention to solving the abovementioned problems. We have demonstrated that different probiotic combinations could reduce the inflammatory responses at the site of tumor genesis, enhance the immunity of patients, restore gut functions, and alleviate the side effects of anticancer treatments in various tumors via remodeling the disturbed gut microbiota [