Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) continues to have variable responses to immune checkpoint inhibitors, and reliable biomarkers to guide immunotherapy selection are lacking.
Key evidence
A study published today in npj Precision Oncology analyzed genomic and immune profiles of advanced HCC tumors treated with checkpoint blockade. Elevated β catenin signaling was associated with low immune infiltrating and reduced response rates, while high PD-L1 expression and robust tumor infiltrating lymphocytes correlated with better clinical outcomes. These distinct immunological phenotypes stratified patients by likelihood of benefit form immunotherapy. The investigators propose that assessing β catenin pathway status can help predict response to immune checkpoint inhibitions.
Clinical or research implications
Incorporating β catenin activity into diagnostic panels could improve patient selection for immunotherapy and inform trial design of combination strategies to overcome immune exclusion in β catenin driven HCC.
Will targeting β catenin signaling enhance immunotherapy efficacy in immune cold HCC subsets?
MBH/AB