Immunotherapy: Scientists Discover Methods for Anticipating Results
Every year, scientists are developing new treatment options to combat cancer. One such innovative approach is immunotherapy, a treatment option that harnesses the body's immune system to fight the disease. However, not every individual or cancer type responds to immunotherapy. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University have recently identified a specific set of mutations in cancer tumors that may indicate a tumor's receptiveness to immunotherapy.
Immunotherapy works by boosting the body's immune system, making it easier for it to identify and destroy cancer cells. By understanding the mutations in cancer cells, researchers can better predict how a tumor will respond to immunotherapy, enabling more accurate selection of patients for treatment and improved outcomes.
The researchers examined the tumor mutation burden (TMB), the total number of mutations in a tumor. They found a specific subset of mutations, which they called "persistent mutations." These mutations remain in the cancer cells and keep the tumor visible to the immune system, allowing for a better response to immunotherapy.
According to the study's lead author, Dr. Valsamo Anagnostou, persistent mutations make the cancer cells continuously visible to the immune system, triggering an ongoing immune response that is augmented by immune checkpoint blockade. This persistent immune response enables the immune system to eliminate cancer cells harboring persistent mutations, leading to sustained immunologic tumor control and longer survival.
The researchers' findings have the potential to revolutionize cancer treatment. By identifying patients with high persistent mutation loads, doctors can more accurately select patients for clinical trials of novel immunotherapies or predict a patient's clinical outcome with standard-of-care immune checkpoint blockade.
It is worth noting that current cancer immunotherapy options are available for breast cancer, melanoma, leukemia, and non-small cell lung cancer, with researchers also exploring their use for other cancer types, such as prostate, brain, and ovarian cancer.
When asked about the study's implications for the future of cancer treatment, Dr. Kim Margolin, a medical oncologist, stated that it is likely that high-throughput, next-generation sequencing techniques will be used to study patients' mutational spectrum, enabling the categorization of patients by their likelihood of response to immunotherapy. Ultimately, this could lead to a more personalized approach to cancer treatment, with therapies tailored to the specific characteristics of a patient's cancer.
In a competitive research landscape, Johns Hopkins University continues to make breakthroughs in the field of cancer treatment. Their recent findings on persistent mutations and their role in immunotherapy receptiveness could pave the way for more effective, targeted cancer treatments in the future.
Sources1. Mutation spectroscopy in prostate cancer2. EGFR mutations in non-small lung cancer3. EML4-ALK fusion in non-small lung cancer4. Persistent mutations and immunotherapy response prediction5. EML4-ALK variants and their impact on immunotherapy
- The science of medicine is continually advancing, with immunotherapy emerging as a promising solution for various health-and-wellness issues like cancer.
- Researchers have pinpointed specific mutations in cancer cells, known as persistent mutations, that could determine a tumor's receptiveness to immunotherapy treatments, potentially improving patient outcomes.
- With the right selection of patients and appropriate treatment in hand, health professionals can leverage immunotherapy and immunology to control cancer and enhance life expectancy for those facing medical-conditions like cancer.
