TAIPEI (TVBS News) — Researchers at Taipei Veterans General Hospital (台北榮民總醫院) announced on Wednesday (Jan. 28) a groundbreaking discovery linking the gut microbiome's production of acetic acid to the effectiveness of immunotherapy in liver cancer treatment. Patients with higher concentrations of acetic acid in their feces achieved a median survival of over two years, according to the study published in the international journal Hepatology. Taiwan has long ranked liver cancer among the top three causes of cancer-related deaths, making the findings particularly significant for local patients.
Yi-Hsiang Huang (黃怡翔), director of the hospital's Medical Research Department, highlighted the significance of immunotherapy as the standard treatment for advanced liver cancer. However, the objective response rate for tumors stands at only about 30 percent, underscoring the need for better predictive markers to identify patients likely to benefit. The research team analyzed the gut microbiota and fecal metabolites of patients with metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease-related hepatocellular carcinoma (MASLD-HCC) and viral hepatocellular carcinoma (V-HCC).
The study found that MASLD-HCC patients had more pathogenic bacteria in their gut, while V-HCC patients had a higher presence of beneficial symbiotic bacteria. Regardless of cancer type, patients with higher concentrations of acetic acid in their feces experienced better treatment outcomes from immunotherapy. Huang emphasized that acetic acid serves as an independent predictor of immunotherapy response and survival outcomes, offering clinicians a potential tool to guide treatment decisions.
The team published their findings in the international journal Hepatology, underscoring the critical role of the gut microbiome's metabolic capabilities in influencing cancer treatment efficacy. Pei-Chang Lee (李沛璋), an attending physician in the hospital's internal medicine department, noted that further validation of acetic acid-producing bacteria, such as Bifidobacterium, is necessary. The research will guide future directions in developing microbiome-based strategies to improve immunotherapy outcomes for liver cancer patients worldwide. ◼