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Cerebrospinal fluid liquid biopsies can enable the characterization and monitoring of medulloblastoma. The analysis of copy-number variations in circulating tumour DNA present in these samples can be used as a biomarker to determine the presence of measurable residual disease, and facilitate the optimal treatment and clinical management of patients with medulloblastoma.
Efforts are being made to incorporate immune-checkpoint inhibitors into therapy for early stage non-small-cell lung cancer. The IMpower010 trial of adjuvant atezolizumab has recently become the first study to demonstrate that this strategy can improve disease-free survival in a subset of patients. This trial opens a new area of research in the quest for the optimal perioperative strategy to increase overall survival.
Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells have remarkable efficacy in patients with B cell acute lymphoblastic leukaemia (ALL), but have not been successful to date in patients with T cell ALL (T-ALL). Now, data from Pan and colleagues demonstrate the safety and impressive short-term efficacy of allogeneic donor-derived anti-CD7 CAR T cells in an early-phase clinical trial involving patients with relapsed and/or refractory T-ALL.
Two recent studies addressed the functional properties and clinical significance of tumour antigen-specific effector T cells in human melanomas and lung carcinomas using single-cell strategies. Herein, we discuss their findings, which expand our understanding of T cell alterations in the tumour microenvironment and demonstrate that CD8+ T cell exhaustion is mediated by exposure to tumour cell-specific antigens and is associated with a tissue-resident memory phenotype.
The paradigm of precision medicine implies that breast cancer treatment should be tailored based on inherent risk of recurrence and/or individual sensitivity to various chemotherapies. A recent trial of olaparib in women with a BRCA1/2 mutation provides supporting evidence for this paradigm and suggests that the identification of genetic variants at the time of diagnosis might benefit an increasing number of patients.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning have the potential to make cancer care more accessible, efficient, cost-effective and personalized. However, meticulously planned prospective deployment strategies are required to validate the performance of these technologies in real-world clinical settings and overcome the human trust barrier.
Advances in cancer immunotherapy have led to clinical trials of immunotherapy-based neoadjuvant treatments for early stage non-small-cell lung cancer. Evidence for priming of the immune system using both preoperative short-course radiotherapy and immunotherapy in this setting has now emerged from a randomized phase II study incorporating pathological and immunological end points.
Whole-genome sequencing of samples from patients with myeloid malignancies can enable more accurate risk stratification than is possible with conventional cytogenetics. Research by Duncavage et al. demonstrates that such an approach can now be delivered within several days using a highly streamlined and automated workflow.
The Kerala Oral Cancer Screening Trial did not demonstrate an overall cancer-related mortality benefit. Herein, we discuss the important lessons learnt from a recent reanalysis of data from this trial in an attempt to demonstrate the advantages of using a novel risk-based approach to cancer screening.
An unfavourable gut bacterial composition has been shown to reduce the likelihood of clinical benefit from immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). The results of two first-in-human studies of faecal microbiota transplantation in patients with melanoma refractory to anti-PD-1 antibodies validate preclinical evidence that this approach can improve the gut microbiota and overcome resistance to ICIs; however, many questions remain.
A recent meta-analysis examined and validated biomarkers of response to immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). Herein, we discuss the findings of this analysis, which are consistent with previously identified determinants of ICI efficacy and demonstrate that some genetic variables influence response across multiple cancer types.
ATM, BRCA1, BRCA2, CHEK2, PALB2 and TP53 are all established breast cancer susceptibility genes. Over the past 30 years, many other genes have been proposed as candidates. In these two large studies, the candidacy of several questionable genes has been largely resolved, and a final list of ten genes for breast and, importantly, ovarian cancer risk has emerged.
Talimogene laherparepvec (T-VEC) is an oncolytic virus approved for the treatment of patients with recurrent melanoma. Now, a recent study in patients with primary cutaneous B cell lymphoma confirms prior results in melanoma and reveals new mechanisms of action. Herein, we discuss these findings and their implications for expanding the role of oncolytic viruses.
The question of whether allogeneic chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells could replace autologous CAR T cell therapy has garnered considerable interest, but limited data have been available for comparisons to date. Now, Benjamin et al. have reported their experience with allogeneic anti-CD19 CAR T cells in 21 paediatric and adult patients with acute lymphoblastic leukaemia.