Biomarkers of response to immune checkpoint blockade in cancer treatment

• Published in: Critical reviews in oncology/hematology 2018-10, Vol.130, p.108-120
• Main Authors: Fujii, Takeo, Naing, Aung, Rolfo, Christian, Hajjar, Joud
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Immune checkpoint; Immune profiling; Predictive biomarker; Response; T cells
• ISSN: 1040-8428; 1879-0461
• DOI: 10.1016/j.critrevonc.2018.07.010

•Biomarkers for immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICPIs) in cancer are crucial in improving patient selection, predicting response and toxicity.•Currently available biomarkers are driven from patients’ serum, tumor tissue, circulating tumor cells/DNA, and gut microbiome.•No single biomarker can provide accurate response or toxicity prediction, however, combining multiple biomarkers might be a promising model. Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICPis) are emerging as the new corner stone of cancer treatment due to their ability to produce durable responses in patients with various cancers. But, objective responses to ICPis vary among each type of cancer. Further, treatment with ICPis is often associated with risk of developing immune-related adverse event, which are potentially life-threatening if untreated, indicating a need for patient selection. However, given the complexity of the tumor microenvironment and the dynamic interaction between tumor and immune cells, development of robust biomarkers to predict patients who are likely to respond to treatment with ICPis remains a challenge. In this review we present an overview of the immune monitoring strategies that are currently in use to enable appropriate patient selection.