Correlation Between Blood and Tumor T-Cell Cytotoxicity May Predict Treatment Effectiveness
Posted: Thursday, May 23, 2019
According to research published in Scientific Reports, the cytotoxicity of peripheral T cells appears to be strongly correlated with that of tumor-infiltrated T cells in patients with non–small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). “These results imply further applications to blood-based immune monitoring systems and predictive biomarkers for cancer immunotherapy,” stated Kota Iwahori, MD, PhD, of Osaka University, Japan, and colleagues.
The investigators utilized bispecific T-cell engager (BiTE) technology to assess T-cell cytotoxicity; T-cell receptor repertoire; and immune profiles of blood, lung tissue, and tumor tissue samples taken from patients with NSCLC. The analytic results, including those of patient cytokine production, supported the noted cytotoxicity correlation between T cells from the blood and those from lung tumors. Increased T-cell cytotoxicity also seemed to be linked to smoking as well as the expression of certain cytokines.
In addition, the cytotoxicity of peripheral T cells was found to be a predictor of a patient’s responsiveness to immune inhibitor checkpoint treatment, such as nivolumab. Immune checkpoint inhibitors prevent PD-1 from suppressing a patient’s immune system. Determining the likelihood of treatment effectiveness through blood tests may preclude the need for a patient to undergo more invasive procedures, such as lung tumor biopsies, to determine the appropriate therapy.
Disclosure: The study authors reported no conflicts of interest.
