Microbiota composition effect on immunotherapy outcomes in colorectal cancer patients: A systematic review

Background Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have emerged as an effective treatment for colorectal cancer (CRC). Studies indicate that the composition of gut microbiota could potentially serve as a biomarker for predicting the clinical effectiveness of immune checkpoint inhibitors. Methods Following PRISMA guidelines, the review was conducted after registering the protocol with PROSPERO. A comprehensive literature search was carried out across five databases: PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, Embase, and Cochrane Library. Assessment tools from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) were used to gauge the quality of the studies Results A total of 5,132 papers were identified, and three studies and one conference abstract published between 2017–2022 met the inclusion criteria and were summarized in a descriptive synthesis table. These four studies were in accord with the following findings, four main phyla, Firmicutes, Bacteroidata, Actinobacteria, and Verrucomicrobiota were associated with CRC patients’ clinical response toward ICIs treatment. Ruminococcaceae was predominantly related to CRC patients responding to therapy, while the Micrococcaceae family was more common among the non-responders. Bacterial taxa such as Faecalibacterium and Prevotellaceae were associated with better responses to ICIs and could be predictive bio-markers. The signature of fecal microbiota with Akkermansia muciniphila and Eubacterium rectale enrichment, and Rothia mucilaginosa depletion could independently predict better response to ICIs in patients with CRC. Conclusion The findings have brought attention to the notable differences in terms of richness and composition of microbiota between patients who responded positively to the treatment and those who did not. Bacterial species and families, such as Faecalibacterium, Bifidobacterium, Lachnospiraceae, Akkermansia sp., Ruminococcaceae, and Prevotellaceae, have consistently surfaced as potential indicators of immunotherapeutic responses. Furthermore, this review also emphasizes the need for additional comprehensive, multi-center studies with larger sample sizes to validate reported microbiota and expand our understanding of the role of gut microbiota in CRC ICIs therapy.