Dr. Aggarwal on Investigational Biomarkers in Lung Cancer

Charu Aggarwal, MD, MPH, a medical oncologist at Abramson Cancer Center and the Leslye M. Heisler Associate Professor for Lung Cancer Excellence at the University of Pennsylvania’s Perelman School of Medicine, discusses investigational biomarkers in lung cancer.

Currently, PD-L1 expression, measured by immunohistochemistry, provides insight into treatment selection, Aggarwal says.

However, tumor mutational burden (TMB) appears to be a relevant biomarker for immunotherapy combinations, explains Aggarwal. Moreover, research is ongoing to develop plasma-based TMB as a predictive biomarker.

Additionally, combination signatures with gene profiling or TMB plus other predictive, immunotherapy-resistant markers, such as STK11, may have utility in guiding more precision treatment decisions, concludes Aggarwal.