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Review
. 2025 Mar;26(2):213-223.
doi: 10.1007/s40257-024-00910-y. Epub 2024 Dec 21.

Prognostic Biomarkers in Evolving Melanoma Immunotherapy

Robin Reschke  1   2 , Alexander H Enk  3 , Jessica C Hassel  3   4
Affiliations
Review

Prognostic Biomarkers in Evolving Melanoma Immunotherapy

Robin Reschke et al. Am J Clin Dermatol. 2025 Mar.

Abstract

Melanoma, a highly aggressive form of skin cancer, has seen significant advancements in treatment through the introduction of immunotherapy. However, the variability in patient responses underscores the need for reliable biomarkers to guide treatment decisions. This article reviews key biomarkers in melanoma immunotherapy, such as PD-L1 expression, tumor mutational burden (TMB), and gene expression profiles (GEPs). It also explores emerging biomarkers, including LAG-3 expression, immune cell phenotyping in tissue and blood, gut microbiota, and circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA). Notably, ctDNA may offer valuable insights into the efficacy of T cell-engaging bispecific molecules, such as tebentafusp. The review provides a comprehensive overview of the evolving landscape of melanoma biomarkers, their role in personalizing treatment, and future research directions, including neoadjuvant immune checkpoint inhibition.

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Conflict of interest statement

Declarations. Funding: Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEA. R.R. reports a grant from German Cancer Aid (Max–Eder Nachwuchsgruppe, Deutsche Krebshilfe, ref. 70115384). R.R. is also funded by the Clinician Scientist Programm of Heidelberg University, Faculty of Medicine and is part of the Cancer Core Europe (CCE) Training program of Young leaders in TRAnslational Cancer research (TRYTRAC). Conflicts of Interest: Outside of this study, the authors have received the following support: R.R. has received travel expenses from Sunpharma. J.C.H. has received honoraria from Amgen, BMS, Delcath, GSK, MSD, Novartis, Pierre Fabre, Roche, Sanofi, and Sunpharma; has served as a consultant or advisor for GSK, MSD, Pierre Fabre, Sunpharma, Immunocore, Nektar, Novartis, Philogen, Sanofi, BMS, Sunpharma, and Sanofi; and has received research funding or support for clinical studies from BMS, Sunpharma, Sanofi, AstraZeneca, BioNTech, BMS, Genentech/Roche, Genmab, Idera, Immunocore, IOBiotech, Iovance, Nektar, Novartis, Philogen, Pierre Fabre, Regeneron, Replimune, Sanofi, and Seagen. A.E.H. received honoraria by Janssen-Cilag, Biotest, MSD, and Galderma and is president of the European Dermatology Forum (EDF). Ethics Approval: N/A. Consent to Participate: N/A. Consent for Publication: N/A. Availability of Data and Material: N/A. Code Availability: N/A. Authors’ Contributions: R.R. carried out study conceptualization and wrote the original draft; R.R., J.C.H., and A.E.H. revised the manuscript; J.C.H. carried out study supervision.

Figures

Fig. 1
Fig. 1
Schematic illustration of a possible combination of tissue-based, blood-based, and other biomarkers for predicting outcomes in melanoma immunotherapy (figure created with BioRender). GEP gene expression profile, IHC immunohistochemistry, TMB tumor mutational burden
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

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