Alshammari Kanan, Alotaibi Faizah M, Alsugheir Futoon, Aldawoud Mohammad, Alolayan Ashwaq, Algarni Mohammed Ahmad, Sabatin Fouad, Mohammad Mohammad F, Alosaimi Abdulaziz, Sanai Faisal M, Odah Hassan, Alshehri Ahmed Saleh, Aldibasi Omar S, Alrehaily Samah, Al Saleh Abdullah S
King Abdulaziz Medical City, Ministry of National Guard-Health Affairs, Riyadh 11481, Saudi Arabia.
College of Medicine, King Saud Bin Abdulaziz University for Health Sciences, Riyadh 11481, Saudi Arabia.
Cancers (Basel). 2023 Dec 27;16(1):133. doi: 10.3390/cancers16010133.
Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the third leading cause of cancer death worldwide with a poor prognosis. Treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) has improved overall survival in patients with HCC. However, not all patients benefit from the treatment. In this study, 59 patients with HCC were enrolled from two medical centers in Saudi Arabia, with 34% using antibiotics concurrently with their Nivolumab (anti-PD1 blockade). The impact of antibiotic use on the clinical outcomes of patients with HCC undergoing treatment with anti-PD1 blockade was examined. The patients' overall survival (OS) was 5 months (95% CI: 3.2, 6.7) compared to 10 months (95% CI: 0, 22.2) ( = 0.08). Notably, patients with Child-Pugh A cirrhosis receiving anti-PD1 blockade treatment without concurrent antibiotic use showed a significantly longer median OS reaching 22 months (95% CI: 6.5, 37.4) compared to those who were given antibiotics with a median OS of 6 months (95% CI: 2.7, 9.2) ( = 0.02). This difference in overall survival was particularly found in Child-Pugh class A patients receiving anti-PD1 blockade. These findings suggest that antibiotic use may negatively affect survival outcomes in HCC patients undergoing anti-PD1 blockade, potentially due to antibiotic-induced alterations to the gut microbiome impacting the anti-PD1 blockade response. This study suggests the need for careful consideration when prescribing antibiotics to patients with HCC receiving anti-PD1 blockade.
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