This research represents a significant step in improving cancer diagnosis and treatment, potentially expanding the use of immunotherapy to a broader range of patients.
Key Findings:
- Researchers from Brigham and Women’s Hospital have discovered that next-generation sequencing (NGS) can identify more cancer patients who could benefit from immunotherapy.
- The study found that nearly 6% of endometrial cancer patients and 1% of colorectal cancer patients with mismatch repair deficiency were missed by the current standard test, immunohistochemistry, but were detected by NGS.
- This could potentially allow approximately 6,000 more patients in the U.S. to benefit from immunotherapy each year.
Study Insights:
- Immunotherapy is highly effective for patients with cancers that have mismatch repair deficiency, a genetic state where DNA repair is impaired, leading to cancer.
- The study analyzed 1,655 patients with colorectal or endometrial cancer who underwent both immunohistochemistry and NGS tests.
- Patients identified as mismatch repair deficient by NGS responded better to immunotherapy and had similar survival and treatment outcomes as those identified by both tests.
- NGS is more sensitive than immunohistochemistry as it detects more mutation characteristics.
Implications:
- The study suggests that including NGS as a complementary testing method could benefit patients in all phases of cancer, from pre-treatment to advanced stages.
- It highlights the need for further research to confirm these findings and to explore the potential role of other genetic deficiencies involved in mismatch repair deficiency.
- The findings underscore the importance of not missing patients who could benefit from immunotherapy, as it can have long-term benefits and be less toxic compared to other treatments.