Circulating tumour cell PD-L1 test for head and neck cancers
Arutha Kulasinghe1, Liz Kenny2, Chamindie Punyadeera1
1The School of Biomedical Sciences, Institute of Health and Biomedical Innovation, Queensland University of Technology, Kelvin Grove, QLD, Australia; Translational Research Institute, Brisbane, Australia.
Oral Oncology
|December 12, 2017
Summary
Predicting head and neck cancer treatment response is crucial. A new circulating tumor cell assay for programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) may identify patients who will benefit from immune checkpoint inhibitors.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Immunotherapy
- Biomarker Discovery
Background:
- Immune checkpoint inhibitors targeting programmed death 1 (PD-1) and its ligand PD-L1 show promise for metastatic/recurrent head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC).
- Durable responses and favorable toxicity profiles are observed, but lack of predictive biomarkers limits patient selection.
- Unselected patient populations lead to potential side effects and increased healthcare costs.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the potential of a circulating tumor cell (CTC) PD-L1 assay as a predictive biomarker.
- To identify patients likely to respond to anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy in HNSCC.
Main Methods:
- Development of a novel assay to detect PD-L1 expression on circulating tumor cells.
- Evaluation of the assay's utility as a companion diagnostic tool.
Main Results:
- The study proposes a novel CTC PD-L1 assay for HNSCC patient stratification.
- This assay could potentially predict efficacy of immune checkpoint blockade treatments.
Conclusions:
- A validated predictive biomarker is needed to optimize anti-PD-1/PD-L1 therapy in HNSCC.
- A CTC PD-L1 assay presents a promising avenue for companion diagnostics.
- This approach may improve treatment selection, reduce side effects, and lower healthcare expenditure.
Keywords:
Circulating tumour cellsHead and neck cancerHead and neck squamous cell carcinomaPD-L1 testing
