Gut Microbiome Dysbiosis Attenuates Epithelial Ovarian Cancer Sensitivity to Cisplatin Therapy

Epithelial Ovarian Cancer (EOC) is the second most common gynecologic malignancy in the United States, but the leading cause of gynecologic cancer death. Despite many women achieving remission with first-line therapy, which includes cytoreductive surgery and platinum-taxane chemotherapy, up to 80% of patients will recur and require additional treatment. Antibiotic therapy is frequently used during cancer treatments in patients with EOC utilized for both prophylaxis and treatment of infections after surgery or through chemotherapy. While critical for the care of the patient, we now appreciate that the microbiome has many roles in maintenance of human health and cancer progression. Our studies established a necessary role for the microbiome in suppression of tumor growth and cisplatin response in two mouse models of EOC.