Dr. Sharifi on Methodologies Utilized to Evaluate Link Between Gut Microbiome and Fatal Prostate Cancer

Nima Sharifi, MD, director, Center for GU Malignancies Research, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, discusses the methodologies utilized when evaluating the correlation between gut microbiome and fatal prostate cancer.

A prospective study of a PLCO (prostate, lung, colorectal, and ovarian) prostate cancer screening cohort examined what metabolites in circulation could potentially be linked to the development of fatal prostate cancer, Sharifi says. These metabolites could come from diet, including animal meat, or the gut microbiome, Sharifi adds.

The study utilized biospecimens taken before men were diagnosed with prostate cancer, Sharifi explains. Circulating metabolites were examined from men who developed fatal prostate cancer, and they were compared with samples from men who were diagnosed non-fatal prostate cancer, Sharifi continues. The samples were about 20 years old, Sharifi concludes.