Circulating biomarkers predictive of tumor response to cancer immunotherapy.

Circulating biomarkers predictive of tumor response to cancer immunotherapy. Expert Rev Mol Diagn. 2019 Aug 30;: Authors: Lee EY, Kulkarni RP Abstract Introduction: The advent of checkpoint blockade immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment. Over seven immunotherapy drugs have already been FDA approved with multiple indications, and countless more are being investigated in ongoing clinical trials. However, clinical response to immunotherapies is highly heterogeneous among individual patients and between cancer types. This represents a challenge to oncologists when choosing specific immunotherapies for personalized medicine. As a result, the abilities to predict tumor responsiveness to immunotherapies before initiation of treatment and monitor tumor susceptibility during treatment are extremely valuable. Areas covered: Here, we review the latest advances in biomarker-based noninvasive prediction and in-treatment monitoring of tumor response to immunotherapy, focusing primarily on circulating markers for melanoma and non-small cell lung cancer, with discussion of other tumor types. We concentrate on high quality studies published within the last five years on checkpoint blockade immunotherapies. Finally, we highlight significant breakthroughs, identify key areas for improvement, and provide recommendations for how these diagnostic tools can be translated into clinical practice. Expert Opinion: The first biomarkers proposed to p...
Source: Expert Review of Molecular Diagnostics - Category: Laboratory Medicine Tags: Expert Rev Mol Diagn Source Type: research