Immunotherapy Predictability: Scientists Discover Strategies to Forecast Results
Rebellious Reality Check:
Immunotherapy, a cutting-edge treatment against cancer, is causing a stir in the scientific community. Here's the lowdown on this badass cancer fighter, backed by revelations from the researchers of Johns Hopkins.
First things first, immunotherapy is a strategy that takes advantage of your immune system to obliterate cancer cells. These bastards, cancer cells, often develop mutations which allow them to hide from your immune system, but immunotherapy gives your defenses a much-needed boost, allowing them to seek and destroy the invaders.
However, not everyone and not every type of cancer can benefit from immunotherapy. In a quest to uncover why, researchers at Johns Hopkins University took a closer look at mutations within cancer tumors. They found a specific subset of mutations, which they dubbed "persistent mutations," that are less likely to vanish as cancer evolves, keeping the tumor visible to your immune system. This visiblity makes the tumor more amenable to immunotherapy.
These findings could revolutionize the process of selecting people for immunotherapy and predicting treatment outcomes. According to the researchers, these "persistent mutations" may offer a more accurate way of identifying tumors that are more likely to respond to immunotherapy than the initial focus on "tumor mutation burden."
Immunotherapy 101
Immunotherapy is a game-changer in the war against cancer. It harnesses your immune system to fight disease. Cancer cells develop mutations that help them evade detection by your immune system. Immunotherapy boosts your immune system’s ability to find and vanquish these mutated cells.
There are several types of immunotherapy, including checkpoint inhibitors, CAR-T cell therapy, and vaccines.
Currently, immunotherapy is used as a treatment option for breast cancer, melanoma, leukemia, and non-small cell lung cancer. Researchers are also investigating its potential for use in other types of cancer, like prostate, brain, and ovarian cancer.
The Role of Mutations in Immunotherapy
Doctors typically assess the overall number of mutations in a tumor (tumor mutation burden) to predict how it will respond to immunotherapy. However, researchers from Johns Hopkins have found that specific "persistent mutations" provide a more accurate indicator of immunotherapy response than tumor mutation burden alone.
These persistent mutations, being constantly present in the cancer cells, keep the tumor visible to the immune system, enhancing the immune system's ability to identify and attack the cancer cells. This response is further amplified by immune checkpoint blockade, leading to sustained immunologic control of the tumor and, in turn, long survival.
The Future of Cancer Treatment
The study published in Nature Medicine has big implications for the future of cancer treatment. It suggests that persistent mutations may help better select patients for immunotherapy clinical trials and predict patient outcomes with standard-of-care immune checkpoint blockade.
Doctors in the field are excited about the findings. According to medical oncologist Dr. Kim Margolin, the study provides new insights into the critical determinants of an effective anticancer immune response and shows promise for the development of more personalized immunotherapies.
Sources:
- Garraway et al., Cancer Cell (2013)
- Kim et al., Journal of Immunotherapy Cancer (2016)
- Darvin et al., Nature Reviews Cancer (2018)
- The science of medical-conditions like cancer is constantly evolving, with immunotherapy offering a game-changer in health-and-wellness by harnessing the immune system to combat cancer cells.
- Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have discovered a crucial factor in immunotherapy efficacy: persistent mutations within cancer cells that keep the tumor visible to the immune system, enhancing the immune system's ability to eradicate the cancer.
- The study of persistent mutations could revolutionize the selection process for immunotherapy treatments, providing a more accurate means to identify tumors that are more susceptible to immunotherapy, ultimately leading to improved patient outcomes.
