Predicting Immunotherapy Results: Scientists Discover Strategies to Anticipate Therapy Effectiveness
Every year, scientists are developing new means to combat cancer, one of the latest being immunotherapy. However, not all individuals or types of cancer can be treated with this innovative approach. Researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Maryland now claim they have uncovered a specific subset of mutations in cancer tumors that may indicate a better response to immunotherapy.
These persistent mutations, as they are called, are less likely to disappear as cancer evolves, making the tumor more visible to the immune system and consequently improving the response to immunotherapy. According to the team's study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, these persistent mutations may help doctors more accurately select candidates for immunotherapy and predict treatment outcomes.
Tumor mutation burden (TMB) is a factor that doctors currently use to gauge a tumor's responsiveness to immunotherapy. This refers to the total number of changes in the genetic material of cancer cells, particularly their DNA sequence. A high number of such mutations makes it easier for the immune system to identify and attack cancer cells, leading to longer clinical outcomes with immunotherapy for some tumors.
However, not all mutations contribute equally to the response. In this study, researchers identified persistent mutations within the overall TMB, which are less likely to disappear as a cancer evolves. This allows the tumor to remain visible to the immune system, aiding a better response to immunotherapy.
The findings may improve patient selection for immunotherapy and predict treatment outcomes. Dr. Kim Margolin, a medical oncologist, shared her enthusiasm for the study, stating that it "demonstrated that a highly-respected collaborative group has gone beyond the simple concept of tumor mutation burden, expanded the understanding of persistent mutations, and emphasized their importance in an effective anticancer immune response."
The next step is to explore how these findings can impact the selection of cancer patients for immunotherapy. In the not-too-distant future, it may be possible to use high-throughput, next-generation sequencing techniques to study patients' mutational spectrum, allowing a more precise categorization of patients by their likelihood of response to immunotherapy.
Although specific persistent mutations were not detailed in this study, research continues to uncover factors and biomarkers that may correlate with a favorable response to immunotherapy, such as tumor mutational burden, DNA damage response pathway mutations, GSDMD, and ME1 expression. These elements suggest that mutations and biomarkers influencing tumor immunogenicity and immune recognition are critical in predicting immunotherapy response.
Despite the ongoing research, more investigation is needed to definitively determine which persistent mutations may suggest a better response to immunotherapy, paving the way for more effective personalized treatments for patients with cancer.
- The researchers at Johns Hopkins University have found a specific subset of persistent mutations in cancer tumors, which are less likely to disappear as cancer evolves and may indicate a better response to immunotherapy.
- According to the study published in the journal Nature Medicine, these persistent mutations, as they are called, may help doctors more accurately select candidates for immunotherapy and predict treatment outcomes.
- The findings from this study may improve patient selection for immunotherapy and predict treatment outcomes, potentially allowing for a more precise categorization of patients by their likelihood of response to immunotherapy in the future.
- Despite ongoing research, more investigation is needed to definitively determine which persistent mutations may suggest a better response to immunotherapy, paving the way for more effective personalized treatments for patients with cancer.
