Immunotherapy Outcomes Forecast: Scientists Uncover Predictive Methods
Every year, scientists are developing new approaches to combat cancer, with one of the latest being immunotherapy. Although immunotherapy is promising, not all individuals and cancers respond favorably to this treatment. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University, however, have identified a particular subset of mutations in cancer tumors that may indicate the tumor's receptiveness to immunotherapy.
In their study, published in the journal Nature Medicine, the researchers found that a specific group of persistent mutations within a tumor, often referred to as the tumor mutational burden (TMB), could help doctors more accurately select patients for immunotherapy and predict its success.
According to the researchers, cancer cells often develop mutations that allow them to evade the immune system. Immunotherapy boosts the body's immune system, making it easier to find and attack those cancer cells. Tumor mutation burden, a measure of the number of changes in the genetic material of cancer cells, has been used to determine the likelihood of a favorable response to immunotherapy.
In this study, the research team identified persistent mutations within the overall TMB, which are less likely to disappear as cancer evolves. These persistent mutations keep the tumor visible to the immune system, leading to a better response to immunotherapy. This could be crucial in identifying tumors that are more likely to respond to immune checkpoint blockade and can help predict patient outcomes.
When asked about the study, Dr. Kim Margolin, a medical oncologist, noted that it gives a new perspective on tumor mutation burden and the role of persistent mutations in an effective anticancer immune response. Margolin went on to say that in the near future, high-throughput, next-generation sequencing techniques may be employed to study patients' mutational spectrum, helping to categorize patients by their likelihood of responding to immunotherapy.
Upcoming research will focus on using immunotherapy as a treatment for various types of cancer, such as prostate, brain, and ovarian cancer. As the understanding of immunotherapy and its potential applications grows, the ability to select suitable patients for the treatment is becoming increasingly important for its success.
- The study published in Nature Medicine reveals that a specific group of persistent mutations within a tumor, known as tumor mutational burden (TMB), can help doctors more accurately select patients for immunotherapy and predict its success.
- In the study, researchers found that these persistent mutations, which are less likely to disappear as cancer evolves, keep the tumor visible to the immune system, leading to a better response to immunotherapy.
- With the growing understanding of immunotherapy and its potential applications, the ability to select suitable patients for treatment is becoming increasingly important for its success, as research continues to explore using immunotherapy as a treatment for various medical conditions such as prostate, brain, and ovarian cancer.
