Skip to content

Exploration of Immunotherapy: Scientists Discover Methods for Anticipating Results

Exploration of Immunotherapy: Scientists Discover Methods to Anticipate Results

Investigators are examining ways to enhance the potency of immunotherapy in combatting cancer, as...
Investigators are examining ways to enhance the potency of immunotherapy in combatting cancer, as depicted by SAUL LOEB/AFP via Getty Images.

Exploration of Immunotherapy: Scientists Discover Methods for Anticipating Results

The brave world of cancer treatments continues to evolve, with one of the front-runners being immunotherapy. This innovative approach utilizes the body's immune system to combat the disease.

Despite the promising advances, not all individuals or types of cancer respond positively to immunotherapy. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University in Maryland have made a groundbreaking discovery that could change cancer treatment Forever.

They have identified a specific subset of mutations in a cancer tumor that could indicate how likely a tumor is to respond to immunotherapy. These mutations, referred to as "persistent mutations", help keep the cancer tumor visible to the immune system, enhancing its response to immunotherapy.

The study, published in Nature Medicine, could revolutionize cancer treatment, enabling doctors to more accurately select individuals for immunotherapy and predict treatment outcomes more accurately.

Immunotherapy is already a treatment option for various cancers, including breast cancer, melanoma, leukemia, and non-small cell lung cancer. However, researchers are exploring its potential for treating other types of cancer, such as prostate, brain, and ovarian cancer.

In the search for the key to unlocking the mystery behind immunotherapy's effectiveness, researchers had initially focused on the total number of mutations in a tumor, known as the tumor mutation burden (TMB). However, the Johns Hopkins researchers found that "persistent mutations" within the overall TMB are more crucial in determining a tumor's responsiveness to immunotherapy.

As Dr. Valsamo Anagnostou, a senior author of the study and an associate professor of oncology at Johns Hopkins, explained, "Persistent mutations are always there in cancer cells, and these mutations may render the cancer cells continuously visible to the immune system, eliciting an immune response. This response is further amplified in the context of immune checkpoint blockade, and the immune system continues to eliminate cancer cells harboring these persistent mutations over time, resulting in sustained immunologic tumor control and long survival."

The findings may lead to more accurate patient selection for immunotherapy clinical trials or predicting patient outcomes with standard ICB treatment. Immunotherapy is a promising and rapidly advancing field in cancer treatment. With more studies like this one, the world may soon witness personalized immunotherapy treatments tailored to each patient's unique genetic mutations.

  1. The study, published in Nature Medicine, suggests that immunotherapy, a cancer treatment option for conditions like breast cancer, melanoma, leukemia, and non-small cell lung cancer, could be more accurately administered based on a specific subset of mutations found in cancer tumors.
  2. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University in Maryland discovered these mutations, referred to as "persistent mutations", which help keep the cancer tumor visible to the immune system, potentially enhancing the effectiveness of immunotherapy.
  3. Instead of focusing on the total number of mutations in a tumor, known as the tumor mutation burden (TMB), the Johns Hopkins researchers found that "persistent mutations" within the overall TMB are more crucial in determining a tumor's responsiveness to immunotherapy.
  4. The identification of these persistent mutations could revolutionize cancer treatment, enabling doctors to more accurately select individuals for immunotherapy and predict treatment outcomes more accurately, leading to personalized immunotherapy treatments tailored to each patient's unique genetic mutations.

Read also:

    Latest