Predicting Immunotherapy Success: Scientists Pinpoint Key Indicators for Effectiveness
Every year, scientists make strides in developing new treatments for cancer. One such innovation is immunotherapy, a treatment that leverages the body's immune system to combat the disease. However, not all people and not all types of cancer are responsive to immunotherapy. To address this, researchers from Johns Hopkins University have identified a specific subset of mutations in cancer tumors that could indicate how receptive a tumor will be to immunotherapy.
According to the researchers, the total number of mutations in a tumor, known as the tumor mutation burden (TMB), has been used to estimate a tumor's response to immunotherapy. However, this method is not always accurate, as not all mutations are equally likely to trigger an immune response against the cancer cells.
In this study, the researchers identified a subset of mutations within the overall TMB, which they termed "persistent mutations." These mutations remain present in cancer cells and enable the body's immune system to continue detecting and attacking the cancer cells, particularly when combined with immune checkpoint blockade.
The researchers believe that their findings will enable doctors to more accurately select patients for immunotherapy and better predict the treatment's outcomes. Their study was recently published in the journal Nature Medicine.
Immunotherapy is a treatment that harnesses the body's own immune system to fight disease. In the case of cancer, the immune system can sometimes fail to detect cancer cells due to mutations in these cells. Immunotherapy provides a boost to the immune system, making it easier for it to find and destroy cancer cells. There are various types of immunotherapy, including antibodies, vaccines, and checkpoint inhibitors.
Currently, immunotherapy is a treatment option for breast cancer, melanoma, leukemia, and non-small cell lung cancer. Research is ongoing to explore the use of immunotherapy for other types of cancer, such as prostate, brain, and ovarian cancer.
The recent study by Johns Hopkins researchers adds to the growing body of evidence that certain subsets of mutations are more indicative of a tumor's likelihood of responding to immunotherapy. While the study does not specifically identify a unique subset of mutations by name or gene, the broader cancer genomics field emphasizes the importance of mutations that are capable of stimulating an immune response, known as immunogenic quality mutations within the TMB. These mutations produce neoantigens that are recognized by the immune system.
In the future, it may be possible to use high-throughput, next-generation sequencing techniques to study patients' mutational spectrum and categorize them by their likelihood of responding to immunotherapy. This would allow doctors to more accurately select patients for immunotherapy and better predict treatment outcomes. Ultimately, these advancements could lead to personalized treatment for cancer patients based on the unique mutations in their tumors.
- The researchers at Johns Hopkins University have identified a specific subset of mutations, termed "persistent mutations," in cancer tumors that could indicate a tumor's receptiveness to immunotherapy.
- These persistent mutations remain in cancer cells and enable the body's immune system to continuously detect and attack the cancer cells, particularly when combined with immune checkpoint blockade.
- The study by the Johns Hopkins researchers adds to the growing body of evidence that certain subsets of mutations are more indicative of a tumor's likelihood of responding to immunotherapy.
- In the future, high-throughput, next-generation sequencing techniques could be used to study patients' mutational spectrum and categorize them by their likelihood of responding to immunotherapy, potentially leading to personalized treatment for cancer patients.
