THE IMPACT OF IMMUNOTHERAPY IN CANCER TREATMENT

Abstract

Immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) are currently the established treatment protocol for several forms of cancer. The lack of a healthy gut microbiome in pre-clinical animals has a detrimental effect on the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). These results helped to uncover the significance of the commensal microbiota in the field of immuno-oncology. Several recent clinical investigations, including a total of over 1800 patients, have shown that the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics (ATB) has a detrimental effect on cancer patients who are taking immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). Overall, our findings suggest that dysbiosis caused by ATB may affect the clinical response by altering the gut microbiota. The controversy persists since ATB therapy may just serve as an indicator of people who are not physically fit or have a weakened immune system. This review provides a concise summary of recent papers that examine the influence of the gut microbiota on the effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI). It also discusses the existing data on the effects of antibiotic (ATB) administration at various time points in relation to the commencement of ICI treatment. Lastly, it explores the therapeutic implications of these results.

Keywords: Immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICI), microbiome, immunotherapy, cancer treatment, review, antibiotic administration.