Lung cancer is the leading cause of cancer mortality in the United States and all across the world. Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) accounts for about 80 to 85% of all lung cancer cases. The recent study has been conducted that suggest that a gene signature of enhanced proliferation could identify subclass of lung tumors which is more likely to be eradicated by immunotherapy.
In this recent study, the team has examined pretreatment tumor biopsies of 60 patients with NSCLC. They found that the gene expression profiles showing specific genes turned up or down in each sample. They then compared the gene expression profiles of 10 tumors that reached major pathologic response with six tumors that did not reach major pathologic response. The results were published in Cell Medicine Reports. It suggested that this gene signature could be used to identify lung tumors that are more likely to be eradicated by immunotherapy.
The team of researchers highlighted that the activity of 140 genes that correlated with treatment response may be used to distinguish patients who would benefit most from immunotherapy. These 140 genes may help to predict enhanced disease-free survival in patients with NSCLC treated with combination of immunotherapy and low-dose radiation. The majority of 135 genes were associated with enhanced cell growth and suggested that the tumors responded to the dual therapy were aggressive. They were also able to examine how the gene expression profiles changed in responsive cancers before and after lung cancer treatment.
The researchers plan to test whether tumors with aggressive gene signature could have a better response to the combination in a larger patient study as the size was small in this research.
The information shared in this blog is for educational purposes only. Please consult with your healthcare provider for any medical needs.
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