title: Probiotic bacteria in cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy and radiation therapy.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Probiotics are live microorganisms, which as drugs or food supplements help to maintain health beneficial microbial balance in the digestive tract of a human or other host. Probiotics by their properties may help strengthen homeostasis and thus reduce side effects associated with cancer treatment. Experimental evidence suggests that probiotics might have beneficial effect on the toxicity of anticancer therapy.
  
  
  METHODS
  A computer-based literature search was carried out using PubMed (keywords: "probiotic" and "lactic acid bacteria" in association with the search terms "cancer" or "oncology" or "chemotherapy" or "radiation"); data reported at international meetings were included.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Probiotics might have beneficial effects on some aspects of toxicity related to anticancer treatment especially radiation therapy. However, reported trials vary in utilized probiotic strains, dose of probiotics and vast majority of them are small trials with substantial risk of bias. Despite limited data, it seems that probiotic bacteria as live microorganisms could be safely administered even in the setting of neutropenia.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Current evidence supporting probiotic use as adjunctive therapy to anticancer treatment is limited, especially in cancer patients treated with chemotherapy. Well designed clinical trials are needed to find true role of probiotics in oncology.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Oncology, Faculty of Medicine, Comenius University and National Cancer Institute, Klenova 1, 833 10 Bratislava, Slovak Republic. Electronic address: misomego@gmail.com.
authors.forename: Michal
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mego
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Holec
authors.forename: Lubos
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Drgona
authors.forename: Katarina
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hainova
authors.forename: Sona
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ciernikova
authors.forename: Vladimir
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Zajac
mesh_terms: D001424:Bacterial Infections / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000517:prevention & control; D059248:Chemoradiotherapy; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000532:radiotherapy / Q000628:therapy*; D019936:Probiotics / Q000627:therapeutic use*
keywords: Cancer; Chemotherapy; Probiotics; Radiation therapy