Integrating endobronchial ultrasound bronchoscopy with molecular testing of immunotherapy biomarkers in non-small cell lung cancer.

ABSTRACT: Immunotherapy has transformed treatment of advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients leading to remarkable long-term survival benefit. However, only about 20% of advanced NSCLC patients typically respond to immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) that target the PD-1/PD-L1 pathway. The only validated biomarker for ICI therapy is the PD-L1 immunohistochemistry (IHC) test, which is considered an imperfect assay due to several variables including availability and integrity of tumour tissue, variability in staining/scoring techniques and heterogeneity in PD-L1 protein expression within and across tumour biopsies. Herein, we discuss integrating minimally invasive EBUS bronchoscopy procedures with novel molecular approaches to improve accuracy and sensitivity of PD-L1 testing. EBUS guided

SUBMITTER: Bozinovski S 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC8264344 | biostudies-literature | 2021 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature