Antibiotics impair response to checkpoint inhibitor therapy
Timing of broad-spectrum antimicrobials 'crucial' to patient response, researchers say
19th September 2019
Cancer patients given broad-spectrum antibiotics up to a month before starting immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy have greatly reduced chances of survival, a study suggests.
An association between prior antibiotic use and poor response to immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy persists regardless of tumour site and the class of antibiotic used, the UK researchers say.
In an observational study published in JAMA Oncology, the researchers followed 196 patients with cancer, (median age 68) who underwent ICI therapy between 2015 and 2018,