Predictive Analysis of Immunotherapy Outcomes: Scientists Discover Methods for Anticipating Treatment Results
Cancer's Latest Line of Defense: Immunotherapy Unveiled
In the ongoing battle against cancer, scientists are continuously developing new treatments. One of the latest awards in this endless fight is immunotherapy.
However, not everyone or every type of cancer can benefit from immunotherapy. Researchers are vigilantly seeking answers as to why some cancers do not respond positively to immunotherapy.
Recently, researchers from Johns Hopkins University in Maryland revealed a unique subset of mutations within a cancer tumor, which may indicate the tumor's receptiveness to immunotherapy.
The researchers believe their findings will enable doctors to more accurately select patients for immunotherapy and predict the treatment's outcomes. Their findings have been published in the journal Nature Medicine.
What is Immunotherapy?
Immunotherapy is a cunning tactic that exploits the immune system to counter the disease. Typically, cancer cells develop camouflaging mutations that allow them to evade the immune response.
Immunotherapy provides a much-needed boost to the immune system, enabling it to locate and eradicate cancer cells more effectively.
There are several types of immunotherapy, such as T-cell transfer therapy, immune checkpoint inhibitors, and cancer vaccines.
A Tale of Mutations
Currently, doctors utilize the total number of mutations in a tumor—called tumor mutational burden (TMB)—to estimate how the tumor will react to immunotherapy.
However, this study by Johns Hopkins' researchers identifies a specific subset of mutations within the overall TMB that they call "persistent mutations." These mutations remain unaltered as the cancer progresses, keeping the tumor visible to the immune system and enhancing the response to immunotherapy.
"Persistent mutations are always present in cancer cells and may render the cancer cells perennially visible to the immune system, eliciting an immune response that is amplified in the context of immune checkpoint blockade, allowing for the immune system to eliminate cancer cells harboring these persistent mutations over time," said Dr. Valsamo Anagnostou, a senior author of the study and associate professor at Johns Hopkins.
This new approach may help clinicians more accurately select patients for clinical trials of novel immunotherapies or predict a patient's outcome with standard-of-care immune checkpoint blockade.
Peering into the Future
Dr. Kim Margolin, a medical oncologist and medical director at the Saint John's Cancer Institute Melanoma Program, applauded the research. She emphasized the importance of persistent mutations in stimulating an effective anticancer immune response.
In the not-too-distant future, Margolin anticipates high-throughput, next-generation sequencing techniques being employed to explore patients' mutational profiles, categorizing them by their likelihood of responding to immunotherapy.
These advancements may lead to a future where cancers are more accurately diagnosed and treated, paving the way for personalized medicine and improved outcomes for cancer patients.
- The ongoing battle against cancer has seen a new development in the form of immunotherapy, a treatment strategy that exploits the immune system to counter the disease.
- Recognizing the importance of persistent mutations in cancer, researchers from Johns Hopkins University have identified a specific subset of mutations within the overall Tumor Mutational Burden (TMB), which they name "persistent mutations."
- These persistent mutations, as revealed by the Johns Hopkins' researchers, may provide a way for clinicians to more accurately select patients for immunotherapy clinical trials or predict a patient's response to standard-of-care immune checkpoint blockade.
- In the future, high-throughput, next-generation sequencing techniques may be employed to explore patients' mutational profiles, leading to personalized medicine and improved outcomes for cancer patients, thus paving the way for a future where cancers are more accurately diagnosed and treated.
