Effect of combined intrapleural administration of Lactobacillus casei (LC9018) and adriamycin on experimental malignant pleurisy in mice

Probiotic Supplements on Oncology Patients' Treatment-Related Side Effects: A Systematic Review of Randomized Controlled Trials

Cancer affects more than 19.3 million people and has become the second leading cause of death worldwide. Chemo- and radiotherapy, the most common procedures in these patients, often produce unpleasant treatment-related side effects that have a direct impact on the quality of life of these patients. However, innovative therapeutic strategies such as probiotics are being implemented to manage these complications. Thus, this study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of probiotics supplements as a therapeutic strategy in adult oncology treatment-related side effects. A systematic review of randomized controlled trials was conducted in PubMed, Scielo, ProQuest and OVID databases up to and including January 2021, following the PRISMA guidelines. The quality of the included studies was assessed by the Jadad Scale. Twenty clinical trials published between 1988 and 2020 were included in this review. Seventeen studies (85%) revealed predominantly positive results when using probiotics to reduce the incidence of treatment-related side effects in oncology patients, while three studies (15%) reported no impact in their findings. This study sheds some light on the significance of chemotherapy and radiotherapy in altering the composition of gut microbiota, where probiotic strains may play an important role in preventing or mitigating treatment-related side effects.

A comparative trial of LC9018 plus doxorubicin and doxorubicin alone for the treatment of malignant pleural effusion secondary to lung cancer

The efficacy and safety of intrapleural LC9018 (Yakult Co. Ltd., Tokyo, Japan) with or without doxorubicin (Adriamycin; Adria Laboratories, Columbus, OH) were evaluated in a randomized, controlled trial performed in 95 patients with malignant pleural effusions secondary to lung cancer. Seventy-six patients were eligible for the assessment of efficacy. The response rate for treatment with intrapleural doxorubicin plus LC9018 (38 patients) was 73.7%, which was significantly higher than the response rate of 39.5% for the control group treated with doxorubicin alone (38 patients) (P less than 0.01). The LC9018 group also showed a significantly greater improvement in performance status (PS) and symptoms (chest pain, chest discomfort, and anorexia) than the control group (P less than 0.05). A significant prolongation of survival was noticed in the LC9018 group (P less than 0.05). The main side effects of LC9018 were fever and transient hepatic dysfunction, but there were no serious adverse reactions. These results suggest that the intrapleural instillation of LC9018 can be recommended for the treatment of malignant pleural effusions.