Microbiota Transplant Boosts Immunotherapy for Advanced Kidney Cancer
- Studio italiano: il trapianto fecale ha aumentato la sopravvivenza libera da progressione di malattia e il tasso di risposta
- The TACITO study evaluated whether a fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) from donors who had responded completely to immunotherapy coudl improve clinical outcomes in a group of patients with...
- "These results - comments gianluca Ianiro, medical director at CEMAD of the Gemelli Polyclinic Foundation - provide further evidence of the role of the intestinal microbiota as a...
Studio italiano: il trapianto fecale ha aumentato la sopravvivenza libera da progressione di malattia e il tasso di risposta
microbiota plays a fundamental role both in the growth of some tumors, and in the response to immunotherapy. And in kidney tumors, several factors combine to reduce the effect of immunotherapy and create resistance mechanisms, which tend to attenuate its effects. These include very pronounced angiogenesis and the production of some inflammatory factors (e.g. IL-6), characteristics of kidney tumors».
Starting from these observations, a multicenter study coordinated by researchers from the Fondazione Policlinico Agostino Gemelli IRCCS and the Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome campus recently published in Nature Medicine, adds a new piece to the growing evidence linking the intestinal microbiome to the effectiveness of immunotherapy.
The study
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The TACITO study evaluated whether a fecal microbiota transplant (FMT) from donors who had responded completely to immunotherapy coudl improve clinical outcomes in a group of patients with metastatic renal cell carcinoma, treated with the combination (immunotherapeutic) and axitinib (VEGF receptor anti-target therapy) which represents the standard first-line treatment.
«The working hypothesis – explains Gianluca Ianiro, principal investigator and study coordinator, researcher in Digestive Diseases at the catholic University of the Sacred Heart – was that transplanting an “adequate” intestinal microbiota would be able to improve the response to immunotherapy. TACITO was therefore the first randomized trial in the world to compare the response to immunotherapy, following a microbiota transplant from donors who had responded very well to immunotherapy, versus placebo».
«The study, randomized, double-blind and placebo-controlled, involved 45 patients with advanced kidney cancer, treated for the first time with immunotherapy.Participants were assigned to receive FMT from donors (d-FMT) or placebo (p-FMT)
survival free from disease progression median was substantially higher in the group that received FMT: 24 months versus 9 months in the control group, with a 50% reduction in the risk of progression”.
“Among the captivating results we observed – adds Chiara Ciccarese, co-first author of the study and Researcher in Oncology at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart – is that FMT associated with immunotherapy gives better results in patients with intermediate or unfavorable prognosis.
The key role of the microbiota
“These results – comments gianluca Ianiro, medical director at CEMAD of the Gemelli Polyclinic Foundation – provide further evidence of the role of the intestinal microbiota as a modulator of the response to immunotherapy and suggest that FMT from selected donors may become an critically important complementary strategy“.
“In the future,the patient’s microbiota can be studied as a predictive biomarker of response to oncological immunotherapy – concludes Professor antonio Gasbarrini,Scientific Director of the IRCCS gemelli and Professor of Internal Medicine at the Catholic University of the Sacred Heart -. A better knowledge of the “adequate” microbiota will allow us to modulate its composition with a view to response to immunotherapy and not necessarily through FMT. New management techniques are being studied (for example lyophilized capsules, precursors of bacterial cocktails)”.
New Blood Test Shows Promise for Early Cancer Detection
Researchers at the University of California, San Francisco, announced on January 28, 2026, the development of a blood test capable of detecting multiple types of cancer in their early stages, according to a study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The test, called CANcer Associated Biomarker Early Detection (CABED), demonstrated a high degree of accuracy in clinical trials.
How the Test Works
CABED analyzes blood samples for a specific set of biomarkers – proteins and DNA fragments - released by cancer cells. The test doesn’t pinpoint the exact location of the cancer,but indicates its presence,prompting further diagnostic investigation. The study, funded by the National Cancer Institute, involved over 5,000 participants aged 50-79 with no prior cancer diagnosis.
- Accuracy: The test correctly identified cancer in 76% of participants who were later diagnosed with the disease. (UCSF News Release, January 28, 2026)
- False Positives: The false positive rate was 3%, meaning 3% of participants without cancer initially tested positive. (New England Journal of Medicine, January 28, 2026)
- Cancer Types Detected: The test showed particular strength in detecting ovarian, pancreatic, and esophageal cancers, which are often diagnosed at late stages. (National Cancer Institute, https://www.cancer.gov/)
Expert Commentary
“Early detection is crucial for improving cancer survival rates,” said Dr. Emily Carter, lead author of the study and professor of oncology at UCSF. “This test isn’t a replacement for existing screening methods, but it could serve as an additional tool to identify cancers earlier, when treatment is more effective.”
The researchers emphasize that further studies are needed to validate the findings in larger and more diverse populations. Thay are also working to refine the test to reduce the false positive rate and improve its ability to pinpoint the specific type and location of the cancer.
Looking Ahead
the UCSF team plans to launch a larger clinical trial in 2027, involving 20,000 participants across multiple medical centers. They anticipate that,if accomplished,CABED could become widely available to the public within five years. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) will review the test’s data before it can be marketed to consumers. (https://www.fda.gov/)
This research builds on previous work in liquid biopsies, which analyze circulating tumor cells or DNA in the bloodstream. However, CABED differs by focusing on a broader panel of biomarkers, perhaps increasing its ability to detect a wider range of cancers. (American cancer Society, https://www.cancer.org/)