Popular Cancer Treatment FUELS Tumor Growth?!

The real reason for treatment-resistant tumors

We’ve talked recently about how to help combat prostate cancer (and all forms of cancer, for that matter). 

But today, I’m going to help make sure you’re not pouring water into a bucket full of holes. 

Here’s what I mean…  

You could be doing everything in your power to prevent cancer from taking hold in your body.  

But if your body is harboring this one unwelcome intruder, you could be unwittingly fueling the growth of prostate cancers — and helping them evade treatment.  

Just how important is your gut bacteria to your overall health? 

Well, in addition to boosting your digestive wellness and immune system, the bacteria in your gut can either tame — or fuel — the growth of advanced prostate cancers. 

The wrong bacteria can also boost their resistance to hormone therapy. 

In a remarkable new study, researchers analyzed gut bacteria from 19 men whose prostate cancer were responding to hormone therapy — and 55 men with advanced prostate cancer that had stopped responding to hormone therapy. 

They found that certain bacteria in their microbiome contributed to treatment resistance (specifically, Ruminococcus), while others were associated with a favorable outcome (specifically, Prevotella stercorea). 

You see, one of the standard advanced prostate cancer treatments is hormone therapy, which is designed to lower levels of male hormones called androgens. 

The problem? 

Low androgen levels can open the door to the growth of certain “bad” bacteria that become “hormone factories” producing their own androgens — which ultimately fuels prostate cancer growth. 

So, when certain men develop “resistance” to treatment, it could be as a result of these bacterial invaders. 

This was a key finding because it shows that manipulating the microbiome — whether through fecal transplants, probiotics, antibiotic therapy, etc. — could be a key way to prevent resistance to hormone therapy — and could ultimately lead to better outcomes for men suffering from this disease.