Q&A: Gut microbiome may support patient response to immune checkpoint inhibitor treatment

Research suggests the gut microbiome plays a role in response to cancer immunotherapy, according to a study published in Nature Medicine.
The composition of the gut microbiome previously has been associated with clinical response to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment, but there is limited consensus on the specific link between the microbiome and clinical benefits.
Using shotgun metagenomic sequencing, researchers evaluated stool samples from 165 ICI-naive patients with advanced cutaneous melanoma prior to ICI initiation, as well as 147 metagenomic samples from previous studies.
Results

Research suggests the gut microbiome plays a role in response to cancer immunotherapy, according to a study published in Nature Medicine.
The composition of the gut microbiome previously has been associated with clinical response to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) treatment, but there is limited consensus on the specific link between the microbiome and clinical benefits.
Using shotgun metagenomic sequencing, researchers evaluated stool samples from 165 ICI-naive patients with advanced cutaneous melanoma prior to ICI initiation, as well as 147 metagenomic samples from previous studies.
Results