Biomarkers for predicting the outcome of various cancer immunotherapies

Abstract

Cancer immunotherapy has appeared as a well-known therapeutic modality for different cancers. Yet, only a subset of patients derive clinical benefit. It is thus critical to understand the determinants driving response, resistance and adverse effects.Predictive biomarkers in different modalities of cancer immunotherapy offer novel information about the effect of a therapeutic intervention. These biomarkers and their patterns may not only operate similarly across different tumor types that are amenable to these therapies but also assist to identify patients who will benefit from the treatment and subsequently leading to tailored immunotherapy with the wider-successfully-targeted patient population. In this review, we will outline a variety of predictive biomarkers in various cancer immunotherapies and their clinical utility. It is anticipated that the incorporation of biomarker studies in the clinical practice will help optimize therapeutic decision making and realize the potential clinical benefit of biomarker-guided therapy.

Keywords: CAR T cell therapy; Cancer immunotherapy; Cancer vaccine; Check point inhibitors; Clinical outcome; NK cell therapy; Predictive biomarkers.