Effects of oral probiotics during chemotherapy on gut microbiota and cognitive dysfunction in breast cancer patients
10.16151/j.1007-810x.2024.02.005
- VernacularTitle:乳腺癌病人化疗期间口服益生菌制剂对肠道菌群和认知功能障碍的影响
- Author:
Hong-Min JI
1
;
Xiu-Chuan LI
;
Chun-Fang LIU
;
Meng-Yuan ZHANG
;
Qiong GUO
;
Yi LI
;
Jun QIAN
Author Information
1. 蚌埠医科大学第一附属医院,肿瘤外科,安徽蚌埠 233003
- Keywords:
Breast cancer;
Chemotherapy;
Probiotics;
Intestinal flora;
Cognitive impairment
- From:
Parenteral & Enteral Nutrition
2024;31(2):92-100
- CountryChina
- Language:Chinese
-
Abstract:
Objective:To investigate the effects of oral probiotics on intestinal microbiota and cognitive dysfunction in breast cancer chemotherapy patients. Methods:Thirty breast cancer patients who received anthracycline chemotherapy between December 2021 and June 2022 in the Department of Oncology, the First Affiliated Hospital of Bengbu Medical University were included in this study. The patients were randomly divided into the observation and control groups (15 cases per group). During chemotherapy, the observation group was additionally given oral probiotics. The fecal microbiota compositions before and after chemotherapy were detected using 16S rDNA sequencing. The changes in patients' subjective and objective cognitive function levels were evaluated by Montreal Cognitive Assessment (MoCA) and Functional Assessment of Cancer Therapy-Cognitive (FACT-Cog), respectively. Results:The microbiota diversity, as indicated by the Chao, Ace, Shannon and Simpson indices, showed no significant difference between two groups (P>0.05). As compared with the control group, the relative abundance of the genus Actinomyces in the feces was significantly higher than in the observation group (P<0.05). By contrast, the relative abundance of the genera Acetoanaerobium, Lachnospiracea_incertae_sedis, and unclassified_Frankineae bacteria was significantly lower in the observation group (P<0.05). The total scores of the objective and subjective cognitive function as well as the scores of each dimension in both groups were markedly decreased after chemotherapy (P<0.05). The scores in the observation group were higher than those in the control group after chemotherapy (P<0.05). During chemotherapy, the presence of the gastrointestinal adverse reactions (constipation, nausea and vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal distension) in the observation group were significantly lower than in control group (P<0.05). Conclusion:Oral probiotics could improve the cognitive impairment and reduce the presence of the gastrointestinal side effects in the breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy, which may be caused by modulating the intestinal microbiota.
