Nima Sharifi, MD, director, Center for GU Malignancies Research, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, discusses the methodologies utilized when evaluating the correlation between gut microbiome and fatal prostate cancer.

A prospective study of a PLCO (prostate, lung, colorectal, and ovarian) prostate cancer screening cohort examined what metabolites in circulation could potentially be linked to the development of fatal prostate cancer, Sharifi says. These metabolites could come from diet, including animal meat, or the gut microbiome, Sharifi adds.

The study utilized biospecimens taken before men were diagnosed with prostate cancer, Sharifi explains. Circulating metabolites were examined from men who developed fatal prostate cancer, and they were compared with samples from men who were diagnosed non-fatal prostate cancer, Sharifi continues. The samples were about 20 years old, Sharifi concludes.

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Nima Sharifi, MD, director, discusses the methodologies utilized when evaluating the correlation between gut microbiome and fatal prostate cancer.


Dr. Sharifi on Methodologies Utilized to Evaluate Link Between Gut Microbiome and Fatal Prostate Cancer

Nima Sharifi, MD, director, Center for GU Malignancies Research, Lerner Research Institute, Cleveland Clinic, discusses the rationale to evaluate the correlation between the gut microbiome and the aggressiveness of prostate cancer.

Currently, the cause of aggressive prostate cancer remains unknown but is thought to be attributed to a mixture of genetic and environmental factors, Sharifi says. Moreover, prostate cancer is a common disease but only a fraction become lethal, Sharifi says. As such, a fraction of patients have indolent disease that does not require therapy, Sharifi explains.

Overall, the rationale for examining the gut microbiome in relation to aggressiveness of prostate cancer is based on trying to distinguish contributing factors for indolent and lethal prostate cancer and how to differentiate between the etiologies, Sharifi concludes.

Nima Sharifi, MD,  discusses the rationale to evaluate the correlation between the gut microbiome and the aggressiveness of prostate cancer. 


Nima Sharifi, MD

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Dr. Sharifi on Methodologies Utilized to Evaluate Link Between Gut Microbiome and Fatal Prostate Cancer

Dr. Sharifi on the Rationale to Evaluate the Correlation Between the Gut Microbiome and Aggressive Prostate Cancer