For decades, progress in oncology has been driven by pioneering institutions that recognize and invest in emerging fields. Through the study of tumor biology, immunology, genetics and precision medicine, we have reshaped cancer care — and it has made a lifesaving difference. Mortality rates have declined and treatments are extending not only years of life, but also quality of life.
That progress did not happen by chance; it was the result of deliberate focus on areas considered new frontiers. Today, we have another new frontier – the microbiome, an area with the potential to reshape and enhance cancer therapies — and perhaps even to prevent disease.
In just a few years, the study of the microbiome has moved from the margins of cancer research toward the center of important scientific questions: Can diet or gut flora manipulation change how patients respond to therapies? Why do some patients react differently to the same treatments? Is the microbiome — and diet — a pathway to cancer prevention and more precisely tailored care?
At City of Hope, our research is helping to answer these questions. Our investigations go back to the early 2000s, when new sequencing technologies emerged through the NIH-funded Human Microbiome Project. For the first time, we could map the bacterial communities inside the body and begin to understand how they affect response to complex procedures such as bone marrow transplantation (BMT).
Today, City of Hope is leading the advancement of this field. This includes looking for ways to improve outcomes by preserving and restoring gut health; launching new clinical trials to explore how certain diets can affect response to certain cancer treatments; and exploring precision treatments designed to complement a patient’s specific microbiome.
Our work in microbiome led us to recently convene researchers, clinicians and federal health leaders for a national symposium on microbiome. The event brought together leaders from the Department of Health and Human Services and the National Institutes of Health, along with leadership from cancer institutions across the nation.
The discussions made an impression. Federal leaders have described the need for a significant investment to accelerate microbiome research and translate discoveries into real patient impact more quickly — a meaningful shift from earlier federal investments, which focused primarily on foundational science. The opportunity now is to move from promise to treatment.
From this symposium and our ongoing work, one thing is clear: realizing the potential of the microbiome in cancer care and prevention is key to the future of cancer care, and it will require a national commitment and investment. Because microbiome research still represents an emerging area of science, private-sector support is limited; if we’re to advance this work forward, it will take backing from government and institutions like City of Hope.
Yet funding is only part of the equation. Microbiome science does not fit neatly within a single discipline or institution, and no single lab or cancer center can answer these questions alone. Advancing discoveries into clinical trials — and ultimately into standard care — requires coordination among research institutions, healthcare systems, government and philanthropy.
This effort also means untangling years of siloed work: sharing standards, building interoperable data systems and committing to long-term evidence generation. The infrastructure required will need to extend far beyond individual institutional priorities. Patients, too, must be willing to participate in clinical trials, and all stakeholders must share a commitment to understanding the biology within us.
The challenge is not a lack of scientific talent. It is the willingness to invest — and to bring great minds and communities together.
The next era of cancer progress is within reach. Whether we achieve it will depend not only on scientific discovery, but on whether we can match the potential of microbiome science with the urgency needed to translate it into better care and outcomes.
The promise is real. The responsibility now is to pursue it with the focus, investment and coordination that patients deserve.
Robert Stone is a member of the Newsweek CEO Circle, an invite-only executive community of subscribers.
