Dr Vincent Fradet wants to prevent prostate cancer before it appears

Prostate cancer is the most commonly diagnosed cancer in men. When found early, nearly 100% of people survive at least 5 years after diagnosis. But once the cancer has spread, that rate drops to 41%, making it important to find new ways to detect and prevent the disease. 

As a uro-oncologist at CHU de Québec and a research professor at Université Laval, Dr Vincent Fradet treats people with prostate cancer almost every day. Both in his practice and in his research, he wants to understand why some people develop aggressive cancers and others do not. 

Treating cancer more effectively is essential, but my dream is to live in a world where we can prevent it in a targeted way.

To answer this question, Dr Fradet and his team are interested in the intestinal microbiome – the billions of bacteria that live in our digestive system. Beyond its role in digestion, the microbiome influences the immune system and inflammation, 2 factors that can play a role in the development of cancer.

With funding from the Canadian Cancer Society, the team is trying to understand how intestinal bacteria interacts with cancer so that they can influence these processes and lessen the aggressiveness of the disease or even prevent it from starting.

The more aggressive the cancer, the more it alters the bacteria living in the intestine which, in turn, help sustain the cancer,” explains Dr Fradet. 

By exploring the link between the intestinal microbiome and cancer, the team aims to identify those most at risk of developing prostate cancer in order to take action earlier and in a more targeted manner. 

The intestinal microbiome is a factor that we can act on through diet and lifestyle habits. If we confirm that it is linked to cancer aggressiveness, we could potentially intervene with something as simple as a targeted dietary supplement.

Leading one of Canada’s largest studies on prostate cancer risk, Dr Fradet and his team have already followed more than 2,000 men at risk for prostate cancer. Data collected from these participants revealed promising links between the intestinal microbiome and the disease. These preliminary results now need to be validated in a larger clinical trial. 

Clinical trials are the cornerstone of modern medicine, because they are the way to demonstrate that a treatment or preventive intervention is effective.

For 3 years, researchers will follow 450 people at risk of prostate cancer. By analyzing their diet, lifestyle and intestinal bacteria, they hope to identify precise markers to predict the start of the disease or the risk of aggressive forms and ultimately prevent them.  

This work could help reduce cancer aggressiveness and delay or even avoid certain treatments. In the longer term, they could even prevent prostate cancer before it develops. 

Thanks to the generosity of donors, the Canadian Cancer Society can fund world-class research like Dr Fradet’s and help turn research progress into practical solutions for people who are living with or at risk of cancer.  

Every donation allows us to develop strategies, in this case cancer prevention, which could change the lives of those most at risk, and those of future generations. Thank you very much.