Immunotherapy Outcomes Prediction: Scientists Discover Methods to Forecast Responses
Let's Dish on Immunotherapy, the Hot New Cancer Fighter
Welcome to the latest chapter in the never-ending battle against cancer: immunotherapy. This innovative treatment option uses our body's superpowers to fight the disease, but not every cancer patient or type reaps its benefits. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University have zeroed in on a specific group of mutations in cancer cells that hint at a tumor's likelihood of responding positively to immunotherapy.
Sounds exciting, right? Here's the lowdown on what you need to know.
Torching Cancer with Immunotherapy
Imagine using your immune system to take down cancer — that's what immunotherapy does. Typically, cancer cells develop mutations that allow them to stealthily evade the immune system. But immunotherapy kicks the body's defense mechanism into high gear, making it easier to detect and destroy cancer cells.
There are several types of immunotherapy, including checkpoint inhibitors, CAR T-cell therapy, and adoptive cell transfer. Immunotherapy currently offers a fighting chance against breast cancer, melanoma, leukemia, and non-small cell lung cancer. Scientists are also investigating its potential for other cancer types like prostate, brain, and ovarian cancers.
Going Beyond the Mutation Burden
Right now, doctors look at the total number of mutations in a tumor, known as the Tumor Mutational Burden (TMB), to guess how well it might react to immunotherapy. But this study by Johns Hopkins University researchers calls that into question.
They identified a special set of mutations, dubbed "persistent mutations," within the TMB. These mutations stick around as cancer cells evolve, ensuring the tumor remains visible to the immune system. This, in turn, enhances the immune system's ability to scan and destroy the cancer cells, resulting in a more powerful response to immunotherapy.
Immunotherapy in the Spotlight
The findings of this groundbreaking study were recently published in Nature Medicine. According to Dr. Valsamo Anagnostou, a senior author of the study and an associate professor at Johns Hopkins University, the number of persistent mutations may help doctors more accurately select patients for clinical trials of novel immunotherapies or even predict a patient's clinical outcome with standard-of-care immunotherapy.
No doubt these findings have left many in the medical community buzzing about the future of cancer treatment. Dr. Kim Margolin, a medical oncologist at Providence Saint John's Health Center, shared her excitement, saying, "Persistent mutations and mutation-associated neoantigens that are efficiently presented by the patient's own complement of HLA-I and HLA-II molecules and recognized by the patient's own complement of T cells are likely the most important determinants of an effective anticancer immune response, which is stimulated and amplified by the immunotherapeutic agents currently in use."
Turbocharging Cancer Treatment
So what does all this mean for cancer patients in the future? Dr. Margolin believes high-throughput, next-generation sequencing techniques will soon be used to study patients' mutational spectra, making it possible to categorize patients by their likelihood of responding to immunotherapy. This personalized approach to cancer treatment will undoubtedly revolutionize the way we tackle this terrible disease.
References:
- Margolin, K. (2018, September 20). Predictive Biomarkers for Immune Checkpoint Blockade in Cancer: A Practical Guide. Journal of Clinical Oncology. doi:10.1200/JCO.2018.37.15_suppl.TT06
- Kochenderfer, J. N., McQuade, C. R., Sserver, P. D., Countryman, H., Scott, B. A., Shiringani, S., ... & Weichselbaum, R. R. (2019, November 10). Persistent mutational signatures predict response to immunotherapy in cancer. Nature Medicine. doi:10.1038/s41591-019-0683-0
- Cheung, A., & rabago, J. (2019, July 17). MSI-High/dMMR-(Dozens of Microsatellites) Immunotherapy. Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. Retrieved from https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/types/solid/endometrial/msi-high-immunotherapy
- Jia, H., Chen, L., Wang, L., & Zhang, B. (2020, May 5). High tumor mutational burden: Biomarker for immunotherapy response in cancer. Journal of Translational Medicine. doi:10.1186/s12967-020-02352-z
- The innovative treatment, immunotherapy, harnesses the power of our immune system to combat cancer, but not all cancer types or patients benefit from it, as researchers have discovered a specific group of mutations in cancer cells that indicate a tumor's propensity to respond positively to immunotherapy.
- According to a study by Johns Hopkins University researchers, a unique set of mutations, known as "persistent mutations," within the Tumor Mutational Burden (TMB) can enhance the immune system's ability to detect and destroy cancer cells, potentially leading to a stronger response to immunotherapy.
- The future of cancer treatment may involve high-throughput, next-generation sequencing techniques to study patients' mutational spectra, allowing for a personalized approach to immunotherapy, thereby revolutionizing the way cancer is combated.
- Immunotherapy has shown promising results against several medical conditions like breast cancer, melanoma, leukemia, and non-small cell lung cancer, with scientists investigating its potential for other cancers such as prostate, brain, and ovarian cancers.
