Emerging Blood-Based Biomarkers for Predicting Response to Checkpoint Immunotherapy in Non-Small-Cell Lung Cancer
Shumin Li1, Chengyan Zhang1, Guanchao Pang1
1Department of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, The Second Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Hangzhou, China.
Abstract:
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have brought impressive clinical benefits in a variety of malignancies over the past years, which dramatically revolutionized the cancer treatment paradigm. Monotherapy or in combination with chemotherapy of ICIs targeting programmed death 1/programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) has emerged as an alternative treatment for patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). However, constrained by primary or acquired resistance, most patients obtain limited benefits from ICIs and occasionally suffer from severe immune-related adverse events. Moreover, owing to the complexity of the tumor microenvironment and the technical limitations, clinical application of PD-L1 and tumor mutation burden as biomarkers shows many deficiencies. Thus, additional predictive biomarkers are required to further advance the precision of proper patient selection, avoiding the exposure of potential non-responders to unnecessary immunotoxicity. Nowadays, an increasing number of investigations are focusing on peripheral blood as a noninvasive alternative to tissue biopsy in predicting and monitoring treatment outcomes. Herein, we summarize the emerging blood-based biomarkers that could predict the clinical response to checkpoint immunotherapy, specifically in patients with NSCLC.
Insights
Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) show promise for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Research is exploring blood-based biomarkers to predict patient response and minimize side effects from these immunotherapies.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Immunotherapy
- Biomarker Discovery
Background:
- Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have transformed cancer treatment, particularly for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
- Despite their success, many patients exhibit resistance or experience severe immune-related adverse events.
- Current biomarkers like PD-L1 expression and tumor mutation burden have limitations in predicting treatment response.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review emerging blood-based biomarkers for predicting clinical response to checkpoint immunotherapy in NSCLC patients.
- To highlight the potential of noninvasive peripheral blood analysis as an alternative to tissue biopsy.
- To address the need for improved biomarkers for precise patient selection in ICI therapy.
Main Methods:
- Literature review of studies investigating blood-based biomarkers for ICI response prediction in NSCLC.
- Analysis of current limitations of PD-L1 and tumor mutation burden as predictive biomarkers.
- Focus on peripheral blood markers as noninvasive alternatives.
Main Results:
- Peripheral blood biomarkers are increasingly investigated for predicting ICI efficacy in NSCLC.
- These biomarkers offer a noninvasive approach to patient selection and treatment monitoring.
- Emerging blood-based markers show potential to overcome limitations of current biomarkers.
Conclusions:
- Blood-based biomarkers hold significant promise for personalizing immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy in NSCLC.
- Noninvasive monitoring via peripheral blood can improve patient selection and reduce unnecessary toxicity.
- Further research into these biomarkers is crucial for advancing precision oncology.
More Related Videos
07:42Patient-Derived Tumor Explants As a "Live" Preclinical Platform for Predicting Drug Resistance in Patients
Published on: February 7, 2021
08:14MicroRNA Based Liquid Biopsy: The Experience of the Plasma miRNA Signature Classifier MSC for Lung Cancer Screening
Published on: October 26, 2017