The Immune Landscape of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Utility of Cytologic and Histologic Samples Obtained Through Minimally Invasive Pulmonary Procedures.

The Immune Landscape of Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer: Utility of Cytologic and Histologic Samples Obtained Through Minimally Invasive Pulmonary Procedures. Am J Respir Crit Care Med. 2018 May 14;: Authors: Beattie J, Yarmus L, Wahidi M, Rivera MP, Gilbert C, Maldonado F, Czarnecka K, Argento A, Chen A, Herth F, Sterman DH, ATS Assembly on Thoracic Oncology Abstract The success of immune checkpoint inhibitors and the discovery of useful biomarkers to predict response to these agents has shifted much of the focus of personalized care for advanced non-small cell lung cancer towards harnessing the immune response. With further advancement, more effective immunotherapy options will emerge along with more useful biomarkers. For patients with advanced disease, minimally invasive techniques will remain most appropriate for acquisition of tissue. This is in contrast to default gold-standard large tissue specimens obtained through surgical resection. For the benefit of our patients, we will continue to learn how to do more with less. In this perspective, we review aspects of immunobiology that underlie the current state of the art of existing and emerging immunologic biomarkers that are increasingly relied upon for the care of patients with NSCLC. We then focus on PD-L1 as a clinically used biomarker with a dearth of evidence in small biopsy and cytology specimens, and evaluate studies that have sought to address this knowledge gap. In addition,...
Source: American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine - Category: Respiratory Medicine Authors: Tags: Am J Respir Crit Care Med Source Type: research