Effects of combined dietary fiber and probiotic supplementation on gut microbiota, immune function, and clinical outcomes in patients with advanced colorectal cancer: a retrospective cohort study.

Combined dietary fiber and probiotic supplementation significantly improved immune markers compared to standard nutritional support after 12 weeks.

• IgA levels were significantly higher in the observation group (0.95 ± 0.24 vs. 0.78 ± 0.15 g/L, p < 0.01)
• IgG levels were significantly higher in the observation group (9.34 ± 1.35 vs. 8.05 ± 1.16 g/L, p < 0.01)
• CD4+/CD8+ ratio was significantly improved in the observation group (2.18 ± 0.20 vs. 1.56 ± 0.15, p < 0.01)
• The intervention consisted of a daily formulation of dietary fiber and multi-strain probiotics administered for 12 weeks to 40 patients with advanced CRC and diagnosed malnutrition

The combined intervention led to superior improvements in nutritional status as measured by BMI and PG-SGA scores.

• BMI increase was greater in the observation group (+2.83 kg/m2 vs. +0.77 kg/m2, p < 0.001)
• PG-SGA scores were significantly better in the observation group (4.67 ± 0.44 vs. 6.14 ± 0.50, p < 0.001), with lower scores indicating better nutritional status
• All patients had diagnosed malnutrition at baseline, and baseline characteristics were well-matched between groups (p > 0.05)

Quality of life as measured by WHOQOL-100 was substantially higher in the observation group after 12 weeks of intervention.

• WHOQOL-100 scores were significantly higher in the observation group (98.27 ± 7.38 vs. 72.35 ± 6.79, p < 0.001)
• The difference in WHOQOL-100 scores between groups was approximately 26 points
• This was a secondary endpoint in the retrospective cohort study of 80 patients

The intervention significantly increased gut microbiota alpha diversity and altered beta diversity, with enrichment of beneficial genera.

• A significant increase in the Shannon diversity index was observed in the observation group (p < 0.001)
• Beta diversity analysis revealed distinct clustering between the observation and control groups
• Relative abundance of Lactobacillus and Bifidobacterium was significantly enriched in the observation group (p < 0.001)
• Microbiota composition was assessed via 16S rRNA sequencing

The observation group demonstrated a significantly higher 3-year survival rate compared to the control group.

• 3-year survival rate was 83.5% in the observation group vs. 67.4% in the control group (p = 0.001)
• This was measured as a secondary endpoint in a retrospective cohort study of 80 advanced CRC patients
• Patients were treated between May and December 2022, with 3-year follow-up outcomes reported

The incidence of overall complications and severe adverse events was numerically lower in the observation group, but differences did not reach statistical significance.

• Overall complication incidence was 7.5% in the observation group vs. 17.5% in the control group (p = 0.176)
• A reduction in grade ≥ 3 diarrhea and mucositis was observed in the observation group
• The authors attributed the lack of statistical significance to sample size limitations
• The study included only 40 patients per group

The study was a retrospective cohort study of 80 patients with advanced colorectal cancer and diagnosed malnutrition undergoing conventional therapy.

• Patients were divided into a control group (n = 40) receiving standard nutritional support and an observation group (n = 40) receiving standard support plus dietary fiber and multi-strain probiotics
• The intervention duration was 12 weeks
• Patients were treated between May and December 2022
• Primary endpoints included immune markers (IgA, IgG, CD4+/CD8+ ratio) and gut microbiota composition; secondary endpoints included BMI, PG-SGA, WHOQOL-100, and 3-year survival