SynthesisMedicine2025
Efficacy and safety of probiotics in preventing chemotherapy-related diarrhea in patients with colorectal cancer: A systematic review and meta-analysis based on 18 randomized trials.
Synthesis in Medicine, 2025. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 4 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.
Who cites it
4 citing papers in PubMed.
- Acute myeloid leukemia and gut microbiome: bidirectional effects and opportunities for intervention.Annals of hematology · 2026Review
- Gut microbiota-mediated chemotherapy resistance in colorectal cancer: mechanisms and precision interventions.Frontiers in oncology · 2026Review
- Probiotics for Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms in Cancer: A Systematic Review of Animal and Human Studies with Mechanistic Insights.Microorganisms · 2025Review
- Microbiota-host metabolism reprogramming in colorectal cancer: from pathogenesis to precision therapies.Frontiers in oncology · 2025Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
7 authors.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundChemotherapy, as one of the main treatments for patients with colorectal cancer (CRC), brings clinical benefits with varying degrees of gastrointestinal reactions. Post-chemotherapy diarrhea is one of the factors affecting the quality of life of cancer patients. In severe cases, it can cause interruption of the chemotherapy process and even be life-threatening. Probiotics' role in preventing post chemotherapy diarrhea in CRC patients has not been proven.
methodsThis meta-analysis was registered with PROSPERO (CRD42023480526). A comprehensive search using subject terms and keywords was conducted to identify randomized controlled trials. Six databases, CNKI, Wanfang, VIP Journals, PubMed, EMBASE, and Web of Science, were searched from their inception until January 16, 2024. The search terms used included "cancer," "tumor," "chemotherapy," "diarrhea," "probiotics," and "placebo." Clinical studies using probiotics to intervene in post chemotherapy diarrhea in CRC patients were included and data were independently extracted for each study. Meta-analysis and sensitivity analysis were performed using RevMan 5.4 and Stata 14 software.
resultsEighteen studies involving 1526 patients were included in this analysis. Meta-analysis demonstrated that probiotics significantly reduced the incidence of diarrhea following chemotherapy in the probiotic group compared to the control group (risk ratio, 0.51; 95% confidence interval: [0.40-0.64]; P = .029). Meanwhile, the use of probiotics significantly shortened the duration of diarrhea (risk ratio: -2.38, 95% confidence interval: [-2.96 to 1.80]). Furthermore, probiotics have been shown to positively affect other gastrointestinal symptoms. Specifically, probiotics significantly alleviated bloating, nausea/vomiting, loss of appetite, and abdominal pain. However, no significant differences were observed in the effects of probiotics on enteritis, tumor necrosis factor-α, diamine oxidase, and interleukin-6.
conclusionThe comprehensive analysis of 18 randomized controlled trials provided compelling evidence that the probiotics have significant clinical value in preventing the onset of diarrhea, shortening the duration of diarrhea, and alleviating chemotherapy-induced gastrointestinal symptoms.
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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.