Immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment by utilizing the patient's own immune system to attack cancer cells. However, it is estimated that only about 15% of cancer patients respond to these treatments, making the identification of effective predictive biomarkers crucial.
The project, launched through the IMMUNOMICS-VHIO platform at the Vall d'Hebron Institute of Oncology, demonstrated that an ultrasensitive liquid biopsy can accurately analyze circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA) in the blood to predict and monitor the response to immunotherapy in multiple tumor types.
The study, published in the journal Clinical Cancer Research, was co-led by Dr. Rodrigo Toledo, head of the Biomarkers and Clonal Dynamics Group at VHIO, and Dr. Elena Garralda. They analyzed 1,455 samples from 136 patients with refractory metastatic tumors across 24 different cancer types.
“"In the imaging test, it may appear that the tumor has grown, but this could be the result of the immune system already attacking it, meaning that immunotherapy is actually working in this patient."
This non-invasive method offers significant advantages over traditional radiological follow-up. It allows determining whether a patient will benefit from immunotherapy even before starting therapy and provides faster monitoring, delivering results just 21 days after treatment initiation, compared to the two months required for imaging tests.
The short-term goal is to incorporate this type of test into routine clinical practice. This research is part of the Comprehensive Cancer Immunotherapy and Immunology Program (CAIMI) at VHIO, funded by the BBVA Foundation, and includes collaboration with the Spanish Association Against Cancer.
