Vitamin D may balance gut microbiome to give cancer immunotherapy a boos

• Over the past few years, researchers have focused on using vitamin D to prevent and treat different cancers.
• Previous research has looked at using vitamin D in conjunction with cancer immunotherapy.
• Researchers from The University of Manchester have found that vitamin D helps balance the gut microbiome, improving the way cancer immunotherapy treatments work via a mouse model.

Over the past few years, several studies have focused on using vitamin D to prevent and treat different types of cancers, including prostate, skin, breast, and bowel cancers.

Previous research has also linked high vitamin D levels to a decreased risk of developing cancer and a reduced cancer mortality rate.

Scientists have also examinedTrusted Source the use of vitamin D in conjunction with a newer type of cancer treatment called immunotherapy.

Now researchers from the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute at The University of Manchester in the U.K. have found that vitamin D helps balance the gut microbiome, improving the way cancer immunotherapy treatments work, via a mouse model.

The study was recently published in the journal Science.

Immunotherapy is a type of treatment that uses the body’s immune system to help improve its ability to fight cancer.

Different types of immunotherapy treatments include monoclonal antibodiesTrusted Source, immune checkpoint inhibitorsTrusted Source, immune system modulatorsTrusted Source, cancer vaccinesTrusted Source, and adoptive cell therapiesTrusted Source like CAR T-cell therapy.

Over the years, the U.S. FDA has approvedTrusted Source several immunotherapy treatments for different types of cancers, with more being added over time.

“Immunotherapy reinvigorates the body’s immune system to attack cancer cells,” Evangelos Giampazolias, PhD, group leader of the Cancer Immunosurveillance Group at the Cancer Research UK Manchester Institute, the University of Manchester and lead author of this study, explained to Medical News Today.

“Immunotherapy has revolutionized the treatment of one of the deadliest forms of cancer, metastatic melanomaTrusted Source, and now is approved as a forefront treatment in a wide range of malignancies including those of kidneyTrusted Source and lungTrusted Source,” Giampazolias said.

“However, not all patients respond equally well to this therapy, and only a small group experience long-lasting (benefits),” Giampazolias continued. “Therefore, understanding when and how our immune system identifies malignant cells as a threat is critical for designing therapies that boost its ability to eliminate cancer,” he added.