“Now I can eat and sleep well. I
m no longer tormented by the pain like before. I m truly grateful to the
experts at Chengmei Hospital and the gut microbiota transplantation technology!”
said Mr. Chen, a patient with esophageal cancer.
Fighting Cancer: A Battle of Body and Mind
In early 2020, 55-year-old Mr. Chen visited the hospital due to difficulty swallowing and was unfortunately diagnosed with esophageal cancer. In the following years, he underwent surgery, chemotherapy, radiotherapy, and targeted therapy. These treatments placed a tremendous burden on his body.
The recurrence and metastasis of the tumor, combined with severe side effects from treatments, left Mr. Chen unable to eat or sleep properly. He also suffered from frequent abdominal pain, diarrhea, and general fatigue. Weighed down by both physical and emotional pain, Mr. Chen grew increasingly fearful of further treatment and sank into a deep emotional slump.
Turning Point: Gut Microbiota Transplantation
After seeking advice from various sources, Mr. Chen learned about the gut microbiota transplantation program at Hainan Chengmei Hospital, which offered hope for relieving his long-standing gastrointestinal symptoms.
Clinging to that hope, Mr. Chen visited Chengmei Hospital. Dr. Dai Wenxin, Director of the Geriatric Multidisciplinary Care Center and an expert in gut microbiota transplantation, carefully reviewed his medical records. Dr. Dai believed that modulating Mr. Chen s gut microbiota might improve his treatment outcomes and recommended a gut microbiota test as a first step toward a targeted transplantation therapy.
Why are tumor patients suitable for precise gut microbiota transplantation? Experts explain that there are three main reasons:
01
Gut microbiota influence the immune systems response to tumors, enhancing the effectiveness of cancer therapies. They also affect drug transport and absorption, thereby improving drug efficacy.
02
Gut microbiota imbalance is closely related to gastrointestinal dysfunction in cancer patients, often resulting in poor appetite, malnutrition, abdominal pain, and diarrhea.
03
The gut-brain axis, involving the gut microbiota, intestines, and brain, may affect a patient s psychological state and sleep, which in turn influences tumor progression and treatment efficacy.
Evidence: Turning “Waste” into Wealth
The precision microbiota transplantation technology purifies beneficial bacteria from the feces of healthy individuals and transplants them into the intestines of cancer patients. This aims to reconstruct a healthier gut microbiome and alleviate treatment-related gastrointestinal and systemic complications.
After conducting a gut microbiota test, Dr. Dai s team used advanced equipment and technology to match Mr. Chen with suitable microbial strains. They developed a personalized microbiota transplantation and nutritional intervention plan.
One month after the transplantation, Mr. Chen experienced significant relief from abdominal pain and diarrhea. His tumor markers also remained stable. He shared that he no longer had frequent diarrhea, could eat and sleep normally again, and felt much more emotionally balanced.
Mr. Chen s post-transplantation microbiota test showed: Significant changes in microbiota composition and abundance; An increase in beneficial bacteria like Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium, which are closely associated with diarrhea relief; A more balanced and diverse microbiota structure; A marked increase in beneficial microbes with no observed overgrowth of harmful bacteria; Previously elevated resistance genes were reduced, indicating a possible alleviation of antibiotic resistance issues.
Expert Introduction
Editor | Huang Fei