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26-05-2022 | Non-small-cell lung cancer | News

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Antibiotics tied to poor NSCLC, melanoma TKI outcomes

Author: Shreeya Nanda

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medwireNews: Antibiotic use is associated with poor survival outcomes in people receiving tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) or melanoma, findings indicate.

“This work adds to an increasing body of evidence supporting a detrimental effect of [antibiotics] in patients receiving anticancer treatment,” write Natalie Cook (The Christie NHS Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK) and co-researchers in ESMO Open.

The analysis included data on 168 patients (89 with NSCLC, 79 with melanoma) who received first-line TKI therapy with dabrafenib, vemurafenib, gefitinib, afatinib, or erlotinib between January 2015 and April 2017 at The Christie NHS Foundation Trust. In all, 55 patients received antibiotics within 2 weeks prior to initiating TKIs and 6 weeks after.

Multivariable analysis accounting for factors such as age and ECOG performance status revealed a significant association between antibiotic use and worse progression-free and overall survival, with hazard ratios (HRs) of 1.71 and 2.24, respectively.

The adverse association between antibiotics and overall survival “was particularly pronounced” for participants with a performance status of 2 or higher, with an HR of 3.82, report Cook and colleagues.

And they conclude: “Careful use of concomitant medication is warranted when treating patients with TKI[s].”

medwireNews is an independent medical news service provided by Springer Healthcare Ltd. © 2022 Springer Healthcare Ltd, part of the Springer Nature Group

ESMO Open 2022; 7: 100430

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