Immunotherapy Outcomes Prediction: Scientists Discover Strategies for Anticipating Responses
Immunotherapy might be the latest weapon in cancer's battle, but it's not a cure-all yet. Not every cancer patient can reap its benefits, and researchers are still figuring out why. A team from Johns Hopkins University has made an exciting breakthrough, pinpointing a specific subset of mutations in cancer tumors that suggest how welcoming a tumor will be to immunotherapy.
These researchers believe their findings will help doctors make more accurate selections when it comes to immunotherapy treatment and predicting outcomes better. Their study was recently published in the prestigious journal Nature Medicine.
So, what is immunotherapy exactly? A type of treatment that relies on the body's immune system to fight disease. Typically, cancer cells evade the immune system with mutations. But immunotherapy gives the immune system a boost, making it easier to spot and destroy cancer cells. There are several types of immunotherapy, including checkpoint inhibitors, CAR-T cell therapy, and adoptive T-cell transfer.
Immunotherapy is currently used against breast cancer, melanoma, leukemia, and non-small cell lung cancer. Researchers are even exploring its potential for treating other types such as prostate cancer, brain cancer, and ovarian cancer.
Speaking of mutations, doctors have been looking at the total number of mutations in a tumor - called tumor mutation burden (TMB) - to try and predict how well a tumor will respond to immunotherapy. But, there's more to it than just the total number. Johns Hopkins researchers discovered a subgroup of mutations, which they call "persistent mutations," that are less likely to disappear as the cancer evolves. This makes the cancer cells remain visible to the immune system, increasing the chances of a successful immunotherapy response.
According to Dr. Valsamo Anagnostou, one of the study's senior authors, "Persistent mutations are always there in cancer cells and these mutations may render the cancer cells continuously visible to the immune system, eliciting an immune response. This response is augmented in the context of immune checkpoint blockade and the immune system continues to eliminate cancer cells harboring these persistent mutations over time, resulting in sustained immunologic tumor control and long survival."
The team is confident that incorporating persistent mutations in a patient's treatment plan will lead to more effective immunotherapy and better patient outcomes. So, while immunotherapy isn't a one-size-fits-all solution, advancements like this will definitely help move it closer to becoming an essential tool in the fight against cancer.
- The discovery of persistent mutations by the Johns Hopkins University team may aid doctors in more accurately selecting immunotherapy treatments for cancer patients, potentially improving treatment outcomes.
- The specific subset of mutations, called persistent mutations, found by researchers might help the immune system continuously detect cancer cells, enhancing the efficacy of immunotherapy treatments.
- The current use of immunotherapy extends to various medical-conditions such as breast cancer, melanoma, leukemia, and non-small cell lung cancer, with further research investigating its potential for other types like prostate cancer, brain cancer, and ovarian cancer.
