Immunotherapy Outcome Prediction: Scientists Discover Strategies to Forecast Responses
Annual advancements in cancer treatment have introduced immunotherapy as a promising option. However, its effectiveness is not universal, as it does not suit every patient or cancer type. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University have identified a specific subset of mutations within a cancer tumor, dubbed "persistent mutations," that could indicate a tumor's responsiveness to immunotherapy. This discovery may help doctors more accurately select patients for treatment and predict outcomes.
Immunotherapy utilizes the body's immune system to combat cancer. Typically, cancer cells evade the immune system due to mutations, making them difficult to detect and eliminate. Immunotherapy boosts the immune system, enabling it to locate and destroy cancer cells more effectively.
This treatment is currently being used for several types of cancer, such as breast cancer, melanoma, leukemia, and non-small cell lung cancer. Researchers are also exploring the use of immunotherapy for other cancer types like prostate, brain, and ovarian cancer.
Previously, doctors gauged a tumor's responsiveness to immunotherapy by counting the total mutations in the tumor, known as the Tumor Mutation Burden (TMB). Dr. Valsamo Anagnostou, a senior author of the study and an associate professor of oncology at Johns Hopkins, explained that high TMB aids immune system recognition and attack of cancer cells, leading to better clinical outcomes with immunotherapy.
Now, Anagnostou and her team have identified a subcategory of these mutations—the persistent mutations—which tend to remain even as cancer evolves. The continuous presence of these mutations keeps the cancer tumor visible to the immune system, enhancing theresponse to immunotherapy.
The researchers believe these findings will contribute to more accurate patient selection for immunotherapy and improved prediction of treatment outcomes. Their findings were recently published in the journal Nature Medicine.
Dr. Kim Margolin, a medical oncologist at Providence Saint John's Health Center, applauded the study, as it moves beyond simple TMB analysis and provides insights into persistent mutations, their impact on immune recognition, and the potential advancements in immunotherapy. Margolin suggested that high-throughput sequencing techniques may soon allow for patient categorization by their likelihood of response to immunotherapy, ultimately leading to personalized cancer treatments.
- The discovery of persistent mutations within a cancer tumor, as identified by researchers from Johns Hopkins University, could enhance the immune system's ability to locate and destroy cancer cells, making immunotherapy more effective.
- Immunotherapy, a treatment that boosts the immune system to combat cancer, has been found to be more effective in patients with a higher Tumor Mutation Burden (TMB), as the high number of mutations aids immune system recognition and attack of cancer cells.
- With the identification of persistent mutations, researchers are hopeful for advancements in personalized cancer treatments, as high-throughput sequencing techniques may soon allow for patient categorization by their likelihood of response to immunotherapy, leading to targeted and more effective treatments.
