Summary
This multi-institutional cohort study, published in Nature Genetics in 2019, examined tumour mutational burden (TMB) as a predictive biomarker for immunotherapy response and survival across diverse cancer types. The authors analysed sequencing data and clinical outcomes from a large patient population treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors, suggesting that TMB may serve as a pan-cancer predictor of immunotherapy efficacy. The work contributes to the growing body of evidence supporting TMB as a stratification tool in precision oncology, though the strength of prediction appears to vary by cancer type.
UK applicability
Findings would be applicable to UK oncology practice and NHS stratification of immunotherapy eligibility, potentially informing tumour testing protocols and treatment selection in UK cancer centres. However, implementation would require integration with existing molecular profiling infrastructure and health economic evaluation.
Key measures
Tumour mutational burden (TMB), overall survival, response to immunotherapy (across multiple cancer types including melanoma, non-small-cell lung cancer, urothelial carcinoma, renal cell carcinoma, and others)
Outcomes reported
The study evaluated tumour mutational load (burden) as a biomarker predicting overall survival outcomes in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitor immunotherapy across multiple cancer types. The analysis examined whether mutational burden could stratify patient populations by treatment response.
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