Melanoma and lung cancer can today be combatted effectively with immunotherapy, which works by activating immune cells in a way that makes them identify cancer cells as foreign bodies and eliminate them. However, immunotherapy only works in up to 50 per cent of patients, as the University of Zurich (UZH) explains in a statement.
Patients who do not respond to immunotherapy still have to put up with its side effects – and lose valuable time before they can start a different course of treatment. UZH researchers have now been able to identify biomarkers in the blood that can predict therapeutic success. Their method allows them to find out which patients are likely to respond positively to immunotherapy, even before treatment is initiated.
Their findings must now be verified in independent studies with higher patient numbers before they can be used in a clinical setting.
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