Artificial Intelligence-Guided Personalized Gut Microbiome Modulation for Persistent Secondary Gastrointestinal Symptoms in Oncology Patients: Clinical Efficacy and Biological Correlates from a Prospective Validation Study
Background/Objectives: Persistent gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms following oncologic treatment represent a major unmet need in survivorship care, often managed symptomatically without addressing underlying biological mechanisms. This study aimed to evaluate the clinical efficacy and biological correlates of an artificial intelligence (AI)-guided, personalized microbiome modulation strategy in oncology patients with chronic secondary GI dysfunction. Methods: We conducted a prospective, single-arm, open-label validation study including 29 adult female oncology patients with persistent GI symptoms lasting ≥3 months. Participants underwent baseline multidimensional assessment integrating shotgun metagenomic sequencing, inflammatory and nutritional biomarkers, and clinical symptom profiling. An AI-guided platform generated individualized dietary, supplement, and lifestyle recommendations. Outcomes were assessed at baseline and after a 3-month intervention, focusing on intra-individual changes in stool frequency (primary endpoint), self-reported energy, microbiome composition, and metabolic biomarkers. Paired statistical analyses, correlation testing, and multivariable regression were performed. Results: After three months, stool frequency significantly decreased (4.69 ± 2.41 to 2.07 ± 1.19 episodes/day; p < 0.0001), accompanied by a marked increase in energy levels (4.00 ± 1.04 to 7.24 ± 1.12; p < 0.0001). Microbiome analysis revealed consistent enrichment of butyrate-producing and barrier-supportive taxa, including Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Eubacterium rectale, Roseburia intestinalis, Akkermansia muciniphila, and Bifidobacterium longum. Butyrate-related biomarkers and vitamin-associated parameters (B-complex, vitamin D) showed significant improvement, while lactate levels normalized. Changes in Bifidobacterium longum were independently associated with stool frequency reduction (β = −0.783, p = 0.0082). Conclusions: AI-guided personalized microbiome modulation was associated with significant clinical improvement and biologically coherent microbial and metabolic shifts in oncology patients with persistent GI symptoms. These findings support a precision supportive-care approach targeting microbiome restoration, warranting further validation in randomized controlled trials.
Authors
- Sorin Săftescu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1628-2359)
- Vlad Mihai Croitoru (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4708-6265)
- V Vornicu
- D Popovici (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2772-7547)
- Iulia Teodora Perva (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6327-5560)
- Ana Dulan
- Adina Emilia Croitoru (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4216-6570)
- Irina Mihaela Croitoru-Cazacu
- Radu Dumitru Dragomir (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5994-9160)
- Daniela Lidia Sandu
- Daniela Elena Nagy
- Diana Sirca (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0003-9767-4692)
Institutions
- Carol Davila University of Medicine and Pharmacy (RO)
- Spitalul Clinic Judeţean de Urgenţă "Pius Brînzeu" Timişoara (RO)
- Victor Babeș University of Medicine and Pharmacy Timișoara (RO)
- Institutul Clinic Fundeni (RO)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Cancers
- Published
- 2026-05-01
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers18091453
- Primary Topic
- Gut microbiota and health
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00