Beyond Analgesia: Psychobiotics as an Adjunctive Approach to Pain Management in Gastrointestinal Oncology-A <i>Post Hoc</i> Analysis from the <i>ProDeCa</i> Study.

ABSTRACT: Background: Pain is a multifaceted and debilitating symptom in patients with gastrointestinal cancer, especially those undergoing surgical resection followed by chemotherapy. The interplay between inflammatory, neuropathic, and psychosocial components often renders conventional analgesia insufficient. Psychobiotics-probiotic strains with neuroactive properties-have recently emerged as potential modulators of pain perception through neuroimmune and gut-brain axis pathways. Methods: This post hoc analysis is based on the ProDeCa randomized, placebo-controlled trial, which originally aimed to assess the psychotropic effects of a four-strain psychobiotic formulation in postoperative gastrointestinal cancer patients receiving chemotherapy. In the current analysis, we

SUBMITTER: Tzikos G 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC12430046 | biostudies-literature | 2025 Aug

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature