Prognostic Biomarkers for Melanoma Immunotherapy

Abstract

Purpose of review: Recent developments in immunotherapy have transformed the landscape of melanoma therapy. Here, we review markers for response to immunotherapy.

Recent findings: Current immunotherapies disable immune checkpoints on T cells and other immune cells and allow immune rejection of tumor. This process depends crucially on a preexisting response to the development of the melanoma. Here we describe the complexity of the anti-tumor immune response and the links to the development of markers that are currently used or under investigation in the clinic. We describe immune response biomarkers along with new developments that could translate into advances.

Keywords: Circulating tumor DNA; Exhausted T cells (Tex); Immune checkpoint inhibitors; Memory T cells (Tmem); Programmed death ligand-1 (PD-L1); Programmed death-1 (PD-1); Tumor microenvironment (TME); Tumor mutation burden.