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Immunologic biomarkers as correlates of clinical response to cancer immunotherapy

  • Focussed Research Review
  • Published:
Cancer Immunology, Immunotherapy Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Over the last few years, several newly developed immune-based cancer therapies have been shown to induce clinical responses in significant numbers of patients. As a result, there is a need to identify immune biomarkers capable of predicting clinical response. If there were laboratory parameters that could define patients with improved disease outcomes after immunomodulation, product development would accelerate, optimization of existing immune-based treatments would be facilitated and patient selection for specific interventions might be optimized. Although there are no validated cancer immunologic biomarkers that are predictive of clinical response currently in widespread use, there is much published literature that has informed investigators as to which markers may be the most promising. Population-based studies of endogenous tumor immune infiltrates and gene expression analyses have identified specific cell populations and phenotypes of immune cells that are most likely to mediate anti-tumor immunity. Further, clinical trials of cancer vaccines and other cancer directed immunotherapy have identified candidate immunologic biomarkers that are statistically associated with beneficial clinical outcomes after immune-based cancer therapies. Biomarkers that measure the magnitude of the Type I immune response generated with immune therapy, epitope spreading, and autoimmunity are readily detected in the peripheral blood and, in clinical trials of cancer immunotherapy, have been associated with response to treatment.

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Abbreviations

ADCC:

Antibody-dependent cell-mediated cytotoxicity

APC:

Antigen-presenting cells

CI:

Confidence interval

CTLA-4:

Cytotoxic T-lymphocyte antigen 4

DFS:

Disease-free survival

DTH:

Delayed type hypersensitivity

GM-CSF:

Granulocyte macrophage colony stimulating factor

HER2:

HER-2/neu

HPV:

Human papilloma virus

HR:

Hazard ratio

IFN:

Interferon

IL:

Interleukin

KLH:

Keyhole limpet hemocyanin

NCI:

National Cancer Institute

NK:

Natural killer

OS:

Overall survival

PDL:

Programmed death ligand

PSA:

Prostate-specific antigen

RR:

Relative risk

SNP:

Single nucleotide polymorphisms

TGF:

Transforming growth factor

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Acknowledgments

This work was supported by NCI grants R01 CA129517, CA136632 and U01CA154967. I thank Ms. Molly Boettcher for expert assistance in manuscript preparation.

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  1. Tumor Vaccine Group, Center for Translational Medicine in Women’s Health, University of Washington, 815 Mercer Street, 2nd Floor, Box 358050, Seattle, WA, 98195-8050, USA

    Mary L. Disis

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Correspondence to Mary L. Disis.

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This paper is a Focussed Research Review based on a presentation given at the 8th Annual Meeting of the Association for Cancer Immunotherapy (CIMT), held in Mainz, Germany, 26–28th May, 2010.

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Disis, M.L. Immunologic biomarkers as correlates of clinical response to cancer immunotherapy. Cancer Immunol Immunother 60, 433–442 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00262-010-0960-8

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