From the Vault: Fecal microbiota transplant may revive ICI responses in metastatic melanoma
We went into the JDD vault to highlight a focused review of microbiota‑modulating interventions in metastatic melanoma treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors. The literature search identified three studies of fecal microbiota transplantation (FMT) for ICI efficacy and one case reporting FMT for ICI‑colitis. Across studies, 37.5% of patients who were previously refractory to ICIs achieved a complete or partial response after receiving FMT followed by immunotherapy, while 65% of immunotherapy‑naïve patients demonstrated an objective response.
No severe FMT‑related adverse events were reported, and FMT also showed benefit in resolving ICI‑associated colitis. The authors conclude FMT appears to be a reasonably safe, potentially effective adjunct to improve ICI outcomes in melanoma, but larger randomized trials are needed to define optimal donor selection, timing, and to evaluate other strategies (pre/probiotics, dietary modulation) before this can be adopted more broadly.
J Drugs Dermatol. 2024;23(2):78-84. doi:10.36849/JDD.7674
Blog write-up assisted by AI
