Gut microbiome composition can predict the response to nivolumab in advanced hepatocellular carcinoma patients.

Background: Immunotherapy has revolutionized the clinical outcomes of intractable cancer patients. Little is known about the intestinal nonpathogenic bacterial composition of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) patients treated by immunotherapy.

Aim: To determine whether there is a correlation between gut bacterial composition and prognosis in HCC patients.

Methods: From September 2019 to March 2020, we prospectively collected fecal samples and examined the gut microbiome of 8 advanced HCC patients treated with nivolumab as a second- or third-line systemic treatment. Fecal samples were collected before the start of immunotherapy. Fecal samples of patients with progression during treatment were collected at the time of progression, and fecal samples of patients who showed good response to nivolumab were collected after 5-7 mo as follow-up. Metagenomic data from 16S ribosomal RNA sequencing were analyzed using CLC Genomics Workbench. Microbiome data were analyzed according to therapeutic response.

Results: All 8 patients were male, of which 6 had underlying chronic hepatitis B. A higher Shannon index was found in the responders than in the non-responders after nivolumab therapy ( = 0.036). The unweighted beta diversity analysis also showed that the overall bacterial community structure and phylogenetic diversity were clearly distinguished according to therapeutic response. There was no significant difference in the diversity or composition of the patient gut microbiome according to the immunotherapy used. Several taxa specific to therapeutic response were designated as follows: sp., and for the non-responders; sp. and for the responders. Of note, a skewed ratio and a low ratio can serve as predictive markers of non-response, whereas the presence of species predicts a good response.

Conclusion: The current presumptive study suggests a potential role for the gut microbiome as a prognostic marker for the response to nivolumab in treatment of HCC patients.