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The association between the gut microbiome and fatigue in individuals living with cancer: a systematic review

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Abstract

Purpose

Fatigue is the most distressing symptom for individuals with cancer. While numerous studies have investigated biological pathways that could underlie the mechanism of fatigue, the cause of fatigue remains unclear. This review aimed to investigate the association between gut microbial composition and fatigue in individuals with cancer.

Methods

Medline (PubMed), Embase (Elsevier), and CINAHL Complete (Ebscohost) were systemically searched on March 30, 2023, for articles investigating gut microbial composition (relative abundance, alpha diversity, and beta diversity) and fatigue in individuals with cancer; no limitations were placed on dates, participant age, nor cancer type/treatment.

Results

Microbial composition in the form of relative abundance was correlated with fatigue in six of the seven articles. A high relative abundance of g_Ruminoccocus was observed in individuals with low fatigue. An elevated relative abundance of g_Escherichia and f_Enterobacteriaceae was associated with high fatigue. However, other associations between fatigue and relative abundance composition, such as with g_Bifidobacterium and g_Faecalibacterium, had conflicting results. For alpha diversity and fatigue, the findings were contradictory; the association between beta diversity and fatigue was unclear due to conflicting results.

Conclusions

Pro-inflammatory bacteria, such as f_Enterobacteriaceae, were more commonly associated with higher fatigue scores, while anti-inflammatory or short-chain fatty acid producing bacteria, such as g_Ruminoccocus, were linked with lower fatigue scores in individuals with cancer. The relationship between alpha and beta diversity and fatigue was inconclusive. Further investigation is needed to clarify whether gut microbial changes play a correlative or causal role in the development of fatigue in individuals with cancer.

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Data Availability

This is a systematic review so no data availability statement is needed.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Duke University School of Nursing, 307 Trent Drive, Durham, NC, 27710, USA

    Julia Slack & Tara A. Albrecht

  2. Emory University School of Nursing, Atlanta, GA, USA

    Hye In Noh

  3. Duke University Medical Center Library & Archives, Durham, NC, USA

    Leila Ledbetter

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Contributions

Conceptualization: J.S, T.A; Literature Search: L.L; Study Screening, Quality Appraisal and Data Extraction: J.S, H.N; Data Analysis: J.S; Writing - original draft preparation: J.S; Writing – review and editing: H.N, L.L, T.A; Supervision: T.A.

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Correspondence to Julia Slack.

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Slack, J., Noh, H., Ledbetter, L. et al. The association between the gut microbiome and fatigue in individuals living with cancer: a systematic review. Support Care Cancer 32, 267 (2024). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00520-024-08468-5

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