What does radiomics do in PD-L1 blockade therapy of NSCLC patients?
Ruichen Cui1, Zhenyu Yang1, Lunxu Liu1
1Institute of Thoracic Oncology and Department of Thoracic Surgery, West China Hospital, Sichuan University, Chengdu, China.
Abstract:
With the in-depth understanding of programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), PD-L1 has become a vital immunotherapy target and a significant biomarker. The clinical utility of detecting PD-L1 by immunohistochemistry or next-generation sequencing has been written into guidelines. However, the application of these methods is limited in some circumstances where the biopsy size is small or not accessible, or a dynamic monitor is needed. Radiomics can noninvasively, in real-time, and quantitatively analyze medical images to reflect deeper information about diseases. Since radiomics was proposed in 2012, it has been widely used in disease diagnosis and differential diagnosis, tumor staging and grading, gene and protein phenotype prediction, treatment plan decision-making, efficacy evaluation, and prognosis prediction. To explore the feasibility of the clinical application of radiomics in predicting PD-L1 expression, immunotherapy response, and long-term prognosis, we comprehensively reviewed and summarized recently published works in NSCLC. In conclusion, radiomics is expected to be a companion to the whole immunotherapy process.
Insights
Radiomics shows promise for predicting programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression and immunotherapy response in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). This noninvasive imaging analysis may complement traditional biopsy methods for better patient management.
Area of Science:
- Oncology
- Radiology
- Medical Imaging
Background:
- Programmed cell death 1 ligand 1 (PD-L1) is a key immunotherapy target and biomarker in non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).
- Current methods for PD-L1 detection (immunohistochemistry, next-generation sequencing) have limitations, especially with small or inaccessible biopsies and the need for dynamic monitoring.
Purpose of the Study:
- To review and summarize recent literature on the clinical feasibility of radiomics for predicting PD-L1 expression in NSCLC.
- To explore radiomics' potential in predicting immunotherapy response and long-term prognosis.
- To assess radiomics as a complementary tool in the immunotherapy process for NSCLC.
Main Methods:
- Comprehensive literature review of studies investigating radiomics for PD-L1 prediction in NSCLC.
- Analysis of radiomics' application in disease diagnosis, staging, gene/protein phenotype prediction, treatment decisions, efficacy evaluation, and prognosis.
- Focus on noninvasive, real-time, and quantitative image analysis.
Main Results:
- Radiomics has demonstrated wide applicability in various aspects of cancer management since its proposal in 2012.
- Emerging evidence suggests radiomics can noninvasively provide insights into PD-L1 expression and immunotherapy outcomes in NSCLC.
- The review synthesizes recent works exploring radiomics' clinical utility in this domain.
Conclusions:
- Radiomics is a promising tool for predicting PD-L1 expression, immunotherapy response, and prognosis in NSCLC.
- It offers a noninvasive alternative or complement to traditional biopsy-based methods.
- Radiomics is expected to support the entire immunotherapy process for NSCLC patients.
