Mixed Results With Fecal Transplant to Stimulate Cancer Immunotherapy Response
Source: Medpage Today, November 2022
Fecal microbiome transplant (FMT) produced mixed results for stimulating response to immunotherapy in advanced melanoma, according to two preliminary studies.
In one trial, a donor FMT plus a PD-1 inhibitor led to objective responses in two-thirds of patients with newly diagnosed advanced melanoma, about 50% higher than observed in trials of single-agent immunotherapy. Three- fourths of the patients obtained clinical benefit, reported Saman Maleki, PhD, of Western University in London, Ontario.
FMT was associated with increased microbiome diversity in recipients, although increased diversity did not appear to improve response. Engraftment retention was associated with clinical response FMT, he said in a presentation at the Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) meeting in Boston.