Immunotherapy Outcome Prediction: Scientists Discover Methods to Forecast Responses
Freshening Up the Fight Against Cancer: Immunotherapy and Beyond
Whenever there's a breakthrough in the war against cancer, we move a step closer to a victory. recently, immunotherapy has emerged as one of the newest weapons in our arsenal.
However, it's essential to remember that not every individual and cancer type can benefit from this treatment option. Researchers are tirelessly working to decipher the factors that determine the effectiveness of immunotherapy.
Recently, Johns Hopkins University researchers have paved the way by identifying a particular grouping of mutations within cancer tumors. These specific mutations, dubbed "persistent mutations," have shown to improve the cancer's visibility to the immune system, enhancing the response to immunotherapy.
The discovery could drastically revolutionize the selection process for patients undergoing immunotherapy and anticipate outcomes. The research has been published in the journal Nature Medicine.
Get to Know Immunotherapy
At its core, immunotherapy harnesses the power of the immune system to combat the disease. Typically, cancer cells develop mutations that help them evade the immune system's surveillance. Immunotherapy offers a much-needed boost to the immune system, enabling it to locate and destroy cancer cells.
Immunotherapy exists in different forms, including checkpoint inhibitors, CAR-T therapy, and adoptive T-cell transfer therapy. Currently, immunotherapy sees widespread use in treating breast cancer, melanoma, leukemia, and non-small cell lung cancer. Researchers are also exploring its potential for use in other cancers such as prostate, brain, and ovarian cancer.
Analyzing Mutations
Currently, doctors assess the total number of mutations in a tumor, called the tumor mutational burden (TMB), to gauge the tumor's responsiveness to immunotherapy.
Dr. Valsamo Anagnostou, a senior author of the study and associate professor of oncology at Johns Hopkins, stated, "A large number of mutations in cancer cells clearly distinguishes them from normal cells - in other words, renders them 'foreign' to the immune system and as such gives more opportunities for the immune system to identify and attack the tumor."
However, the Johns Hopkins study focused on "persistent mutations"—a subset of mutations within the overall TMB that remain in cancer cells as they evolve. These persistent mutations keep cancer cells visible to the immune system, leading to a better response to immunotherapy.
"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," Anagnostou said. "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."
A Peek into the Future of Immunotherapy
When discussing the study with Medical News Today, Dr. Kim Margolin, a medical oncologist and medical director of the Saint John's Cancer Institute Melanoma Program, commended the researchers.
"Persistent mutations and mutation-associated neo-antigens that are efficiently presented by the patient's own complement of class I - and probably class II - and recognized by the patient's own complement of T-cells are likely the most important determinants of an effective anticancer immune response," she said.
In the near future, it's likely that high-throughput, next-generation sequencing techniques will be used to study patients' mutational spectrum, allowing more accurate patient selection for immunotherapy.
"Ultimately, what starts out as mere prognostic indicators may be pushed to the point of becoming predictive factors that can interact with therapy and disease," Margolin explained.
So, here's to the scientists who tirelessly work to provide us with the most cutting-edge treatments possible and bring us one step closer to eliminating the scourge of cancer. And remember, knowledge is our best weapon against this formidable foe.
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[3] Parda, A., Modrusan, J., Camp, S., Walsh, M., Kleisan, B., Liou, A., ... & M Tooze, J. (2018). Identification of tumor mutations targeted by clonal T-cells during antitumor immunity. Cancer cell, 34(6), 811-825.e5.
[4] Le, N., Huynh, T., Rolston, R., Deng, H., & Thong, J. (2019). The evolving landscape of immunotherapy in gastrointestinal cancers. Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics, 19(3), 235-247.
- The research conducted by Johns Hopkins University scholars opens a new door in the field of immunotherapy, as they have discovered a grouping of mutations within cancer tumors known as "persistent mutations," which could enhance the cancer's visibility to the immune system.
- In the future, high-throughput, next-generation sequencing techniques might be utilized to examine patients' mutational spectrum more accurately, leading to more effective patient selection for immunotherapy.
- The discovery of persistent mutations could drastically revolutionize the selection process for patients undergoing immunotherapy and predict outcomes, making the treatments more targeted and successful.
- Immunotherapy, such as checkpoint inhibitors, CAR-T therapy, and adoptive T-cell transfer therapy, harnesses the power of the immune system to combat various medical conditions like cancer, and researchers continue to investigate its potential for use in other cancers like prostate, brain, and ovarian cancer.
