Immunotherapy Outcomes Prediction: Scientists Pinpoint Strategies to Forecast Res effectiveness
In the world of cancer treatment, immunotherapy is a game-changer, but not all cancers or people respond to it. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have taken a significant step forward in determining which cancers are most likely to benefit from immunotherapy by identifying a specific subset of tumor mutations.
The researchers call these persistent mutations—they're always there in cancer cells, making them easier for the immune system to recognize and attack. This finding could revolutionize the way doctors select patients for immunotherapy and predict outcomes.
Immunotherapy is essentially our immune system's amped-up version to fight cancer cells—it provides the boost our immune system needs to find and destroy the disease. It's a beacon of hope for patients battling cancer like breast, melanoma, leukemia, and non-small cell lung cancer. Plus, researchers are investigating its potential for other types like prostate, brain, and ovarian cancer.
Doctors currently estimate a tumor's receptiveness to immunotherapy by its total number of mutations (TMB). A large number of mutations means the cancer cells are foreign to the immune system and more likely to trigger an immune response. However, this study takes it a step further.
The persistent mutations identified by the Johns Hopkins team are less likely to disappear as cancer evolves. This continuous visibility to the immune system makes cancer tumors more receptive to immunotherapy, leading to better responses and longer survival.
In Medical News Today's interview with Dr. Valsamo Anagnostou, she explains that the number of persistent mutations provides a more accurate indicator of a tumor's responsiveness to immune checkpoint blockade compared to the overall TMB.
"Persistent mutations may help clinicians more accurately select patients for clinical trials of novel immunotherapies or predict a patient's clinical outcome with standard-of-care immune checkpoint blockade," she said.
Dr. Kim Margolin, a medical oncologist, believes these findings could significantly impact cancer patients' future selection for immunotherapy. High-throughput, next-generation sequencing techniques will likely become standard for categorizing patients by their likelihood of response to immunotherapy.
While specific details about these persistent mutations are still forthcoming, this breakthrough research might pave the way for improved cancer care—and hope for patients everywhere.
- The persistent mutations, always present in cancer cells, make them easier for the immune system to recognize and attack, potentially revolutionizing the way doctors select patients for immunotherapy and predict outcomes.
- Immunotherapy, an amped-up version of our immune system to fight cancer cells, offers hope for patients with various cancers like breast, melanoma, leukemia, and non-small cell lung cancer, among others.
- Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have identified a specific subset of tumor mutations, less likely to disappear as cancer evolves, which can make cancer tumors more receptive to immunotherapy, leading to better responses and longer survival.
- The number of persistent mutations, according to Dr. Valsamo Anagnostou, provides a more accurate indicator of a tumor's responsiveness to immune checkpoint blockade compared to the overall TMB, potentially aiding clinicians in more accurately selecting patients for clinical trials of novel immunotherapies or predicting a patient's clinical outcome with standard-of-care immune checkpoint blockade.
