The effect of antibiotic use on immune-checkpoint inhibitor efficacy in patients with advanced urothelial carcinoma.

Abstract

e17116 Background: There is emerging evidence that antibiotic (Abx) use may be associated with poor response to immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in patients (pts) with some solid tumors. However, this has not been studied in metastatic urothelial carcinoma (mUC). We examined the effect of Abx use on outcomes in pts receiving ICIs for mUC. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed adult pts receiving ICIs for mUC treated at Cleveland Clinic between 2015 and 2020. Pts included in the study received > / = 3 cycles of ICI therapy with either azetolizumab or pembrolizumab. Abx use was defined as at least 3 days of Abx in the 60 days preceding or following ICI initiation. PFS and OS were estimated using the Kaplan-Meier method and a Cox proportional hazard model was used to calculate hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: A total of 69 pts with mUC receiving ICI therapy were included. The Abx-treated group consisted of 22 pts (32%) and the Abx-untreated group was 47 pts (68 %). 30 pts had Abx 60 days prior to ICI initiation and 20 patients had Abx within 60 days of ICI initiation. Abx use 60 days prior to ICI was not associated with PFS (HR = 0.91, 95% CI = 0.42-1.95) or OS (HR = 0.52, 95% CI = 0.33-1.68). Abx use during the first 60 days of ICI use was associated with decreased PFS (HR = 2.23, 95% CI = 1.03-4.86) but not OS (HR = 2.01, 95% CI = 0.89-4.53). Notably, there was no effect on response rates. The most commonly used Abx prior to treatment were: fluoroquinolones (30%); cephalosporins (26%); non-cephalosporin beta lactams (17%); and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxasole (13%). The most commonly used Abx after treatment initiation were: fluoroquinolones (17% of patients); cephalosporins (13%); non-cephalosporin beta lactams (12%); and trimethoprim-sulfamethoxasole (9%). Our study was insufficiently powered to address the effect of different antibiotic classes on outcomes. Conclusions: In our study, Abx use within first 60 days of treatment with ICIs was associated with decreased PFS and a trend toward decreased OS in pts with mUC but not in pts receiving Abx 60 days prior to ICI therapy. While the numbers are small, this is the first report exploring the effect of Abx on ICI response in mUC and further studies in larger databases are warranted.