PRESS-NEWS.org - Press Release Distribution
PRESS RELEASES DISTRIBUTION

Study finds high tumor mutation burden predicts immunotherapy response in some, but not all, cancers

Further research is needed to identify predictive biomarkers for certain cancers, results suggest

Study finds high tumor mutation burden predicts immunotherapy response in some, but not all, cancers
2021-03-15
(Press-News.org) HOUSTON ? A high rate of genetic mutations within a tumor, known as high tumor mutation burden (TMB), was only useful for predicting clinical responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors in a subset of cancer types, according to a new study led by researchers from The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center.

The findings, published today in Annals of Oncology, suggest that TMB status may not be reliably used as a universal biomarker for predicting immunotherapy response. While TMB status was capable of successfully predicting response to checkpoint blockade in certain cancers, such as melanoma, lung and bladder cancer, there was no association with improved outcomes in others, including breast, prostate and brain cancers.

"This study represents the most comprehensive analysis to date of TMB as a biomarker for response to immune checkpoint blockade," said lead author Daniel J. McGrail, Ph.D., postdoctoral fellow in Systems Biology. "Our results do not support applying high TMB status as a universal biomarker for immunotherapy response, suggesting that additional tumor type-specific studies are needed to clarify how best to apply TMB status in cancer types where it does not appear to be associated with outcomes."

Gene mutations within a tumor lead to the production of mutant proteins, or neoantigens, which can be recognized as abnormal by the immune system. It follows that a high TMB would render tumors more immunogenic, which is why TMB status has become a leading candidate biomarker for predicting immunotherapy response, McGrail explained.

In June 2020, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved the anti-PD-1 therapy pembrolizumab for treating patients with advanced and refractory cancers with a high TMB, as indicated by a defined threshold level of mutations. The approval was based on results from the Phase II KEYNOTE-158 study, which found improved overall responses in patients with a high TMB. However, the trial did not include several cancer types, such as breast, prostate and brain cancers, which have not typically responded to immune checkpoint blockade therapy.

"The FDA approval of pembrolizumab for patients with high TMB certainly provides an important option for many patients," said senior author Shiaw-Yih Lin, Ph.D., professor of Systems Biology. "However, we felt that it was important to look more closely at TMB status in a broader group of cancer types and establish approaches to harmonize TMB across various assays to enable clinicians to best utilize the recent FDA approval."

The researchers analyzed over 10,000 tumors across 31 cancer types from The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) to study the relationship between TMB status and tumor immunogenicity, measured by the infiltration of immune cells (CD8+ T cells) into the tumor. They identified two classes of tumors - those with and without a strong correlation between TMB status and T cell infiltration.

The authors predicted that TMB status would not be able to predict immunotherapy response equally in these two groups. They evaluated this using previously published studies and MD Anderson patient cohorts.

For cancers with a strong correlation between TMB status and T cell infiltration, patients with a high TMB had improved clinical outcomes. Across all cancer types in this category, patients with a high TMB had a 39.8% overall response rate to checkpoint inhibitors, which was significantly higher than those with a low TMB.

In contrast, TMB status was not predictive of outcome in the second class of tumors. Within this category, patients with a high TMB had a 15.3% overall response rate, which was actually lower than the response rate for patients with low TMB.

"While TMB status does show value in predicting response to immune checkpoint blockade in several cancer types, this was not generalizable across all cancers," McGrail said. "For those cancer types where a high TMB does not appear to increase immunogenicity, additional prospective studies are needed to determine if TMB status can be an effective clinical biomarker and at what threshold."

Additionally, the researchers found that evaluating TMB status by sequencing a targeted panel of cancer-related genes may overestimate TMB when compared to whole exome sequencing, which offers an unbiased approach. While whole exome sequencing is not feasible in a clinical setting, the threshold for defining high TMB status may need to be evaluated in a cancer type-specific manner, McGrail explained.

The authors note that this study is limited by retrospective analyses across various DNA sequencing approaches, as well as variations in the immune checkpoint inhibitors and clinical outcomes reported across the different cohorts included.

INFORMATION:

A complete list of collaborating authors and their disclosures can be found with the full paper here. This study was supported by the National Cancer Institute (K99CA240689, R01 CA218287), the George and Barbara Bush Endowment for Innovative Cancer Research, the Kidney Cancer Association Young Investigator Award, the Prostate Cancer Foundation Young Investigator Award, the Cancer Prevention & Research Institute of Texas (CPRIT) (RP170668, RP160710, and the Breast Cancer Moon Shot®, part of MD Anderson's Moon Shots Program®, a collaborative effort to rapidly develop scientific discoveries into meaningful clinical advances that save patients' lives.

- 30 -


[Attachments] See images for this press release:
Study finds high tumor mutation burden predicts immunotherapy response in some, but not all, cancers

ELSE PRESS RELEASES FROM THIS DATE:

Risk of death for men 60% higher than for women in study of 28 countries

2021-03-15
A large study of people in 28 countries found men aged 50 and over had a 60% greater risk of death than women, partly explained by heavier rates of smoking and heart disease in men, although the gap varied across countries, according to new research in CMAJ (Canadian Medical Association Journal) . "Many studies have examined the potential impact of social, behavioural and biological factors on sex differences in mortality, but few have been able to investigate potential variation across countries," writes Dr. Yu-Tzu Wu, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, and Population Health Sciences Institute, Newcastle University, United Kingdom, with coauthors. "Different cultural traditions, historical contexts, ...

National poll: Pandemic has negatively impacted teens' mental health

National poll: Pandemic has negatively impacted teens mental health
2021-03-15
ANN ARBOR, Mich. - For teens, pandemic restrictions may have meant months of virtual school, less time with friends and canceling activities like sports, band concerts and prom. And for young people who rely heavily on social connections for emotional support, these adjustments may have taken a heavy toll on mental health, a new national poll suggests. Forty-six percent of parents say their teen has shown signs of a new or worsening mental health condition since the start of the pandemic in March 2020, according to the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital National Poll on Children's Health at Michigan Medicine. Parents of teen girls were more likely to say their child had a ...

Doctor communication key to pandemic vaccine adoption

2021-03-15
PULLMAN, Wash. - People who talk with their doctors are more likely to get vaccinated during a pandemic, according to a study of evidence collected during the "swine flu," the last pandemic to hit the U.S. before COVID-19. Researchers from Washington State University and University of Wisconsin-Madison surveyed patients about the vaccine for the H1N1 virus, also known as the swine flu, which was declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization in 2009. They found that doctor-patient communication helped build trust in physicians, which led to more positive attitudes toward the H1N1 vaccine--and it was more than just talk; it correlated to people actually getting vaccinated. ...

Calls to poison centers about high-powered magnets increased by 444% after ban lifted

2021-03-15
(COLUMBUS, Ohio) - High-powered magnets are small, shiny magnets made from powerful rare earth metals. Since they started showing up in children's toys in the early 2000s and then later in desk sets in 2009, high-powered magnets have caused thousands of injuries and are considered to be among the most dangerous ingestion hazards in children. When more than one is swallowed, these high-powered magnets attract to each other across tissue, cutting off blood supply to the bowel and causing obstructions, tissue necrosis, sepsis and even death. The U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission (CPSC) found them dangerous enough that in 2012 they halted the sale of high-powered magnet sets and instituted a recall followed by a federal rule that ...

Testing of primary school pupils promotes culture of division, say experts

2021-03-15
A fear of poor SATs results is driving headteachers to separate pupils by ability despite the impact on children's self-esteem and confidence, according to a study by researchers from UCL published in the peer-reviewed British Journal of Sociology of Education. The findings, based on a survey of nearly 300 principals of primary schools in England, provide new evidence of a high-stakes culture around testing where some pupils are prioritised above others and physically segregated from them. More than a third (35%) of headteachers said SATs were the reason for grouping children into different ability sets for English, and just under half (47%) for maths, according to the results which also ...

Intervening early for infant brain health

2021-03-14
In the world of neurodevelopment, one thing is clear: the earlier the intervention the better. Infancy is a critical time in brain development, and neuroscientists are increasingly identifying factors that can negatively impact cognition and ones that can improve cognition early in life. At the annual meeting of the Cognitive Neuroscience Society (CNS), researchers from the University of Minnesota are presenting new work on two early interventions: one on the potential use of engineered gut microbes for antibiotic-exposed infants and another on a choline supplement to treat infants exposed prenatally to alcohol. "These talks underscore how patient-based neuroscience can advance ...

Exhaustion linked with increased risk of heart attack in men

2021-03-13
Men experiencing vital exhaustion are more likely to have a heart attack, according to research presented today at ESC Acute CardioVascular Care 2021, an online scientific congress of the European Society of Cardiology (ESC).1 The risk of a myocardial infarction linked with exhaustion was particularly pronounced in never married, divorced and widowed men. "Vital exhaustion refers to excessive fatigue, feelings of demoralisation and increased irritability," said study author Dr. Dmitriy Panov of the Institute of Cytology and Genetics, Novosibirsk, Russian Federation. "It is thought to be a response to intractable problems in people's lives, particularly when they are unable to adapt to prolonged ...

Wider horizons for highly ordered nanohole arrays

Wider horizons for highly ordered nanohole arrays
2021-03-13
Tokyo, Japan - Scientists from Tokyo Metropolitan University have developed a new method for making ordered arrays of nanoholes in metallic oxide thin films using a range of transition metals. The team used a template to pre-pattern metallic surfaces with an ordered array of dimples before applying electrochemistry to selectively grow an oxide layer with holes. The process makes a wider selection of ordered transition metal nanohole arrays available for new catalysis, filtration, and sensing applications. A key challenge of nanotechnology is getting control over the structure of materials at the nanoscale. In the search for materials that are porous at this length scale, the field of electrochemistry offers a particularly elegant ...

MRI scans more precisely define and detect some abnormalities in unborn babies

2021-03-13
MRI scanning can more precisely define and detect head, neck, thoracic, abdominal and spinal malformations in unborn babies, finds a large multidisciplinary study led by King's College London with Evelina London Children's Hospital, Great Ormond Street Hospital and UCL. In the study, published today in Lancet Child and Adolescent Health, the team of researchers and clinicians demonstrate the ways that MRI scanning can show malformations in great detail, including their effect on surrounding structures. Importantly, they note that MRI is a very safe procedure for pregnant women and their babies. They say the work is invaluable both to clinicians caring for babies before they are born and for teams planning care of the baby after delivery. Recent research has concentrated ...

Children's preventive healthcare costs dropped under ACA: BU study

2021-03-12
The Affordable Care Act (ACA) dramatically increased children's preventive healthcare while reducing out-of-pocket costs, according to a new Boston University School of Public Health (BUSPH) study. Published in JAMA Network Open, the study found that checkups with out-of-pocket costs dropped from 54.2% of visits in 2010 (the year the ACA passed) to 14.5% in 2018. "This is a great feather in the cap of the ACA, even though there is still some work to do," says study lead author Dr. Paul Shafer, assistant professor of health law, policy & management at BUSPH. "We found ...

LAST 30 PRESS RELEASES:

Signs identified that precede sudden arrhythmic death syndrome in young people

Discovery of bacteria's defence against viruses becomes a piece of the puzzle against resistance

Pre-eclampsia is associated with earlier onset and higher incidence of cardiovascular risk factors

Warwick astronomers discover doomed pair of spiralling stars on our cosmic doorstep

Soil conditions significantly increase rainfall in world’s megastorm hotspots

NK cells complexed with bispecific antibody yield high response rates in patients with lymphoma

Planetary health diet and mediterranean diet associated with similar survival and sustainability benefits

Singapore launches national standard to validate antimicrobial disinfectant products

Molecular stool test could improve detection of tuberculosis in adults with HIV

Suspected fibrocartilaginous embolus in Asian small-clawed otter (Aonyx cinereus)

Enhancing heat transfer using the turbulent flow of viscoelastic fluids

Exercise as an anti-ageing intervention to avoid detrimental impact of mental fatigue

UMass Amherst Nursing Professor Emerita honored as ‘Living Legend’

New guidelines aim to improve cystic fibrosis screening

Picky eaters by day, buffet by night: Butterfly, moth diets sync to plant aromas

Pennington Biomedical’s Dr. Leanne Redman honored with the E. V. McCollum Award from the American Society for Nutrition

CCNY physicists uncover electronic interactions mediated via spin waves

Researchers’ 3D-printing formula may transform future of foam

Nurture more important than nature for robotic hand

Drug-delivering aptamers target leukemia stem cells for one-two knockout punch

New study finds that over 95% of sponsored influencer posts on Twitter were not disclosed

New sea grant report helps great lakes fish farmers navigate aquaculture regulations

Strain “trick” improves perovskite solar cells’ efficiency

How GPS helps older drivers stay on the roads

Estrogen and progesterone stimulate the body to make opioids

Dancing with the cells – how acoustically levitating a diamond led to a breakthrough in biotech automation

Machine learning helps construct an evolutionary timeline of bacteria

Cellular regulator of mRNA vaccine revealed... offering new therapeutic options

Animal behavioral diversity at risk in the face of declining biodiversity

Finding their way: GPS ignites independence in older adult drivers

[Press-News.org] Study finds high tumor mutation burden predicts immunotherapy response in some, but not all, cancers
Further research is needed to identify predictive biomarkers for certain cancers, results suggest