Dr Dizman on Future Efforts to Elucidate Benefit With CBM588 in First-Line RCC

Nazli Dizman, MD, hematology/oncology fellow, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, discusses next steps planned for research with CBM588 in patients with renal cell carcinoma (RCC) in the first line.

Results from a pooled analysis evaluating the impact of CBM588 on gut microbiome composition in patients with RCC who received first-line immune checkpoint inhibitors were presented at the 2024 Kidney Cancer Research Summit. The analysis showed that adding CBM588 to treatment with immune checkpoint inhibitors did not increase microbiome diversity or improve the richness of the gut microbiome. Despite the lack of increased diversity, CBM588 had notable effects on specific bacterial species associated with positive outcomes in patients treated with immune checkpoint blockade therapies; CBM588 demonstrated an ability to correct gut dysbiosis.

The data, based on a relatively small patient cohort, are supported by preclinical and translational evidence an suggest potential benefits with CBM588 in this patient population, Dizman says. Regarding next steps, researchers are currently conducting further laboratory studies of CBM588 in mice, she details. Additionally, a phase 3 clinical trial is being planned through the SWOG cooperative groups. This trial aims to assess clinical outcomes with the addition of CBM588 to immune checkpoint blockade-based first-line combinations in metastatic RCC, Dizman says.

There is considerable enthusiasm regarding these next steps, Dizman states. The goal of such research is to elucidate the detailed mechanism of action of CBM588 and to determine if it can indeed enhance clinical outcomes, she emphasizes. In the interim, patients are encouraged to participate in ongoing studies exploring lifestyle interventions, biotherapeutics, or fecal microbiota transplants, Dizman says. These approaches have shown strong proof-of-concept evidence and could offer potential benefits, but larger trials are needed to confirm their effectiveness in clinical practice, she concludes.