Predicting Immunotherapy Response: Scientists Find Methods to Forecast Results
The New Frontier in Cancer Treatment: Immunotherapy
Every year, medical advancements in cancer research introduce innovative treatment methods, and one of the hottest topics currently is immunotherapy. Here's the lowdown on this cutting-edge treatment option that's giving hope to countless cancer patients.
But not everyone can benefit from immunotherapy, and it's still a puzzle for researchers to figure out why it works for some people and not others. Now, a team from Johns Hopkins University might have found a piece of the puzzle. They pinpointed a specific subset of mutations within cancer tumors that could indicate how receptive it will be to immunotherapy.
These researchers believe their breakthrough could revolutionize the way doctors select patients for immunotherapy and predict its effectiveness. Their findings recently graced the cover of the prestigious journal, Nature Medicine.
What's the Story with Immunotherapy?
Immunotherapy leverages the body's powerful immune system to combat cancer. Normally, cancer cells develop mutations that help them hide from the immune system. Immunotherapy bolsters the immune system, making it easier for it to find and target cancer cells.
Currently, immunotherapy is used to treat breast cancer, melanoma, leukemia, and non-small cell lung cancer. Researchers are also testing its potential for other types of cancer like prostate, brain, and ovarian.
Mutations: The Key to Success?
Generally, doctors calculate the total number of mutations in a tumor (called tumor mutation burden, or TMB) to gauge the tumor's potential response to immunotherapy.
However, Dr. Valsamo Anagnostou, a senior author of the study and an associate professor of oncology at Johns Hopkins, suggests that this method has limitations. "Tumor mutation burden is an imperfect measure because it doesn't capture the fully dynamic nature of cancer evolution," Dr. Anagnostou explained to Medical News Today.
In their study, Dr. Anagnostou and her team identified a more reliable subset of mutations within the overall TMB. These persistent mutations, as they call them, are less likely to disappear as the cancer evolves. This continuous visibility to the immune system enhances a better response to immunotherapy.
"Persistent mutations allow the immune system to remain engaged in fighting the cancer, potentially leading to long-term control and survival," Dr. Anagnostou explained.
This discovery could help doctors more accurately select patients for immunotherapy and better predict its outcomes.
[1] Tumor Mutation Burden and Prediction of Patient Responses to Anti–PD-1 and Anti–PD-L1 Therapies: A Review. Cancer Discovery. Jan 2017.
[2] Immunotherapy for cancer: assessing clinical responses. Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology. May 2019.
[3] KRAS Mutations in Pancreatic Cancer and Response to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors: Current Evidence and Future Directions. Journal of Clinical Oncology. Aug 2020.
[4] Molecular Landscape and Clinical Outcomes of POLE-mutated Metastatic Colorectal Cancer Treatment with Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor: A Case Report. Annals of Oncology. Jul 2020.
- The study led by Dr. Valsamo Anagnostou from Johns Hopkins University identified a set of 'persistent mutations' within cancer tumors that could enhance the response to immunotherapy.
- These 'persistent mutations' are less likely to disappear as the cancer evolves, keeping the immune system engaged in fighting the cancer for long-term control and survival.
- The discovery could help medical professionals more accurately select patients for immunotherapy and better predict its outcomes.
- In the future, this new understanding of 'persistent mutations' could revolutionize the way doctors select patients for immunotherapy, providing a more precise method for predicting its effectiveness.
