Research helps predict which melanoma patients are most likely to respond to immunotherapy
Source: University of BATH, January 2025
An international team of UK and US scientists has discovered that the activity of macrophages – a type of white blood cell that engulf pathogens and cancer cells – can be used to predict whether or not a melanoma patient will respond to immunotherapy. Their findings, published in a landmark paper in JCO Oncology Advances, will help clinicians select treatments that are most likely to be effective for their patients.
Immunotherapy is a powerful treatment for a range of cancers including skin and kidney cancer, but unfortunately only around half of patients respond to this type of treatment.
Therefore, selecting the best treatment is often a trial-and-error process, leaving patients who don’t respond suffering side effects whilst their cancer remains untouched and potentially their condition worsens.