The gut microbiome was associated with psychoneurological symptoms including fatigue and pain in melanoma patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors, with specific genera including Oscillibacter, Limosilactobacillus, and Bacteroides showing statistically significant associations at 12 weeks post-treatment.
Average fatigue levels increased over the 12-week ICI treatment period.
Gut microbiome community composition varied by age, sex, and their interaction.
Three gut microbial taxa were significantly associated with average fatigue levels at 12 weeks post-treatment.
Three gut microbial taxa were significantly associated with pain severity at 12 weeks post-treatment.
The study identified a potential association between gut microbiome patterns and psychoneurological symptoms during ICI treatment, with clinical implications for nursing practice.
This research suggests that the community of bacteria living in the gut (the gut microbiome) may be linked to certain side effects experienced by cancer patients receiving a type of immunotherapy called immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). The study followed 15 patients with solid tumors (average age 70.9 years) over 12 weeks, measuring symptoms like fatigue and pain while also analyzing stool samples to identify which bacteria were present. Fatigue worsened over the course of treatment, and the composition of gut bacteria differed based on patients' age and sex. At the 12-week mark, the study found that specific groups of bacteria were statistically associated with both fatigue and pain levels. For example, higher levels of Bacteroides in the gut were linked to greater pain severity, while higher levels of Oscillibacter were associated with lower fatigue. These findings suggest that the gut microbiome may play a role in how patients experience psychoneurological symptoms — a cluster of symptoms affecting mood, cognition, and physical sensation — during cancer treatment. This research suggests that monitoring gut health could be a meaningful part of caring for cancer patients on immunotherapy. The authors recommend that nurses and other healthcare providers assess patients' risk for gut microbiome imbalance (dysbiosis), screen regularly for treatment-related symptoms, and educate patients about maintaining gut health during ICI treatment. However, because the sample size was small (only 15 patients), these findings should be considered preliminary and require confirmation in larger studies before drawing firm conclusions.
Yang G, Hegde U, Guan Z, Maas K, Patel S, Redeker N, et al.. (2026). Longitudinal Analysis of Psychoneurological Symptoms and the Gut Microbiome in Patients With Melanoma Receiving Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors.. Oncology nursing forum. https://doi.org/10.1188/26.ONF.e26535372