Longitudinal gut microbiome dynamics during immunotherapy identify microbial features of clinical benefit in advanced primary liver cancer

The authors aimed to characterize the dynamics of the gut microbiome during immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) therapy in patients with advanced primary liver cancer and to assess whether these on-treatment microbial changes could enhance the predictive power of pretreatment biomarkers. Their findings revealed significant ecological remodelling of the gut microbiome during treatment, with a specific 16-species panel identified that improved the stratification of patient outcomes across multiple cohorts. This study suggests that monitoring gut microbiome changes during therapy can provide valuable insights for optimizing immunotherapy strategies.