Predicting Immunotherapy Results: Scientists Find Potential Approaches for Forecasting Success
In the ongoing quest to conquer cancer, immunotherapy is one of the latest battle strategies. While immunotherapy offers hope, it's not a universal solution for every individual and cancer type. Researchers from Johns Hopkins University are taking a progressive step in this fight, with their recent discovery of a specific subset of mutations within cancer tumors that could help predict a tumor's responsiveness to immunotherapy.
The team, led by Dr. Valsamo Anagnostou, has identified these unique mutations, termed "persistent mutations." Unlike other mutations, these don't vanish as cancer progresses. Instead, they keep the cancer visible to the body's immune system, enhancing immunotherapy's effectiveness.
Currently, doctors typically gauge a tumor's receptivity to immunotherapy by its Total Mutation Burden (TMB), the overall number of changes in the cancer cells' genetic material. However, the Johns Hopkins researchers believe their findings will allow for more accurate patient selection, ultimately improving the prediction of treatment outcomes.
Dr. Kim Margolin, a medical oncologist, finds this study particularly refreshing. She believes that, in the near future, high-throughput, next-generation sequencing techniques may be used to categorize patients based on their responsiveness to immunotherapy.
This breakthrough could revolutionize cancer treatment, leading to the development of personalized therapy plans. The days of one-size-fits-all cancer treatments may soon be behind us, replaced by treatments tailored to each individual's unique cancer. In cancer's ongoing war, this knowledge could prove invaluable.
What is Immunotherapy?
Immunotherapy leverages the body's own immune system to fight disease. Normally, cancer cells develop mutations that allow them to evade the immune system. Immunotherapy boosts the immune system, making it easier for it to find and destroy cancer cells.
Different types of immunotherapy include:
- Checkpoint inhibitors
- Cancer vaccines
- CAR-T cell therapy
- Adoptive cell transfer
- Oncolytic viruses
- Immunomodulatory monoclonal antibodies
- Cytokine therapy
- Radiation therapy
Immunotherapy is currently used for treating breast cancer, melanoma, leukemia, and non-small cell lung cancer. Researchers are also exploring its potential for treating other types of cancer, such as prostate cancer, brain cancer, and ovarian cancer.
Sources:[1] https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/types/immunotherapy[2] https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/types/mismatch-repair-deficiency[3] https://www.mskcc.org/cancer-care/types/notch-pathway-can-play-role-treatment[4] https://www.cancer.gov/about-cancer/treatment/research/immune-response-to-cancer[5] https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6050735/
- The discovery of persistent mutations by the Johns Hopkins University team could aid in determining a tumor's responsiveness to immunotherapy, offering a more accurate patient selection and improving the prediction of treatment outcomes.
- In the future, high-throughput, next-generation sequencing techniques might be employed to categorize patients based on their responsiveness to immunotherapy, ultimately paving the way for personalized cancer treatment.
- Immunotherapy employs the body's own immune system to combat disease, with cancer cells often developing mutations that help them evade this defense mechanism.
- The science of immunotherapy has led to its use in treating various medical conditions, such as breast cancer, melanoma, leukemia, and non-small cell lung cancer.
- Researchers are also investigating immunotherapy's potential for treating other types of cancer, including prostate cancer, brain cancer, and ovarian cancer.
- This knowledge of persistent mutations and their significance in cancer treatment could prove invaluable in the ongoing war against cancer, potentially leading to the demise of the one-size-fits-all approach.
