“The gut microbiome and neo-adjuvant immunotherapy: implications for efficacy and toxicity.”
Immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI) immunotherapies have revolutionised the treatment of melanoma, although drug resistance or concurrent immune-related adverse events (irAEs) still impact many patients. In this session the influence of the gut microbiome on clinical outcomes will be discussed using a large clinical trial cohort of stage III melanoma patients treated with combination anti-PD-1/anti-CTLA-4 immunotherapy in the neo-adjuvant setting. This will include discussion of the neo-adjuvant platform and microbiome-immune interactions in the context of cancer and their impact on ICI treatment outcomes.

Speakers
Dr Inês da Silva. Medical Oncologist and Research Scientist, Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney
Dr Erin Shanahan. a’ Beckett Research Fellow, Microbiome & Gut Health Group, The University of Sydney
Rebecca Simpson. PhD Candidate, Melanoma Institute Australia, The University of Sydney