Evidence map›Paper›PMID 40852937›Full record

ArticleMolecular oncology2026

Gut microbiota diversity is prognostic in metastatic hormone receptor-positive breast cancer patients receiving chemotherapy and immunotherapy.

Andreas Ullern, Kristian Holm, Nikolai Kragøe Andresen, Andreas Hagen Røssevold, Corinna Bang, Bjørn Naume, Johannes R Hov, Jon Amund Kyte

Abstract read
In one paragraph

Article in Molecular oncology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Cited by 2 papers.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
2citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

2 citing papers in PubMed.

  1. Trial
  2. Article
4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

8 authors.

Andreas UllernDepartment of Clinical Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.
Kristian HolmInstitute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway.
Nikolai Kragøe AndresenDepartment of Clinical Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9386-1368
Andreas Hagen RøssevoldDepartment of Clinical Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-7212-0111
Corinna BangInstitute of Clinical Molecular Biology, Christian-Albrechts-University of Kiel, Germany.
Bjørn NaumeInstitute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6811-9476
Johannes R HovInstitute of Clinical Medicine, University of Oslo, Norway.
Jon Amund KyteDepartment of Clinical Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital, Oslo, Norway.ORCID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2854-3694

Funding

Bristol Myers Squibb Foundation CA209-9FNEuropean Research Council 802544Norwegian Cancer Society/Norwegian Breast Cancer Society 272910Norwegian Health Region South-East 2017100Norwegian Health Region South-East 2018090Wellcome Trust 214972
6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Immune checkpoint blockade (ICB) is standard treatment in several cancer types, despite not being proven efficacious in metastatic hormone receptor-positive breast cancer (HR+ mBC). The gut microbiota is associated with patient outcome and toxicity from cancer therapy, although limited data are available for breast cancer. In the randomized phase 2b trial ICON, immunomodulating chemotherapy was investigated in combination with dual ICB in HR+ mBC. To determine whether gut microbiota could inform prognosis, we performed 16S (V3-V4) rRNA sequencing on fecal samples collected at baseline and after 8 weeks of study treatment. We showed that high alpha diversity before treatment was associated with prolonged progression-free survival (PFS; primary trial endpoint) and overall survival. Alpha diversity was lower in patients with prior chemotherapy in the metastatic setting. However, alpha diversity remained significantly associated with PFS after correcting for prior chemotherapy and other factors in bivariate analyses. High-grade immune-related toxicity was also associated with high alpha diversity. These findings suggest that high alpha diversity should be further investigated as a positive prognostic factor in HR+ mBC and approaches to increase alpha diversity could potentially improve clinical outcome.

Indexed as

alpha diversitygut microbiotahormone receptor‐positive breast cancerimmunotherapy

Identifiers

PMID40852937
PMCPMC12936421

What Socratic holds

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Registered trials

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Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the Socratic graph.