Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the 5th most diagnosed cancer in Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA). In Kenya, CRC incidence rates have tripled from 1997-2017,with a rising incidence of early-onset CRC. Suggested pathobiology for this increase in CRC rates is gut microbiome dysbiosis. Moreover, FOLFOX chemotherapy for metastatic CRC is associatedwith gastrointestinal toxicity, and it also alters the patient's gut microbiome. Saccharomyces boulardii (S. boulardii),a probiotic with anti-inflammatory and anti-neoplastic effects, is a potential treatment for 5-FU induced-intestinal mucositis, chemotherapy-induced diarrhea. Given an increasing CRC incidence rate, the unknown local generalizability of CRC/microbiome research, and the high burden of chemotherapy-related morbidity, there is an unmet need to better underst and how these factors influence CRC epidemiology in Kenya.
AIM OF THE WORK
To provide an overview of the microbiota composition differentiating CRC patients' gut profiles from healthy individuals' gut profiles.
To demonstrate the effect of probiotic supplementation on the outcome of FOLFOX chemotherapy in CRC patients.
To demonstrate the effect of probiotic supplementation on dysbiosis in CRC patients.