Janice Mehnert, MD, Head of the Phase I Developmental Therapeutics Program at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, and the Head of the Melanoma Research Team, discusses the role that multiple biomarkers and the microbiome play in treatment decisions in oncology.
Janice Mehnert, MD, Head of the Phase I Developmental Therapeutics Program at Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, and the Head of the Melanoma Research Team, discusses the role that multiple biomarkers and the microbiome play in treatment decisions in oncology.
Transcript
You’ve written about the importance of biomarkers and about the need for multiple biomarkers. Are you seeing progress in this area?
So, I think we’re seeing a lot of dedicated effort toward the sophisticated quality collection of tissue specimens. I think we are still rather far away from the holy grail of having a test we can run prospectively to tell us when we meet a patient what type of therapy that patient should have. But certainly, the importance of having those assessments is noted by the immunotherapy community.
The problem, as I’ve written, is the immune microenvironment is very dynamic, and having one assessment that captures everything that is relevant is rather challenging—and may be out of reach. But certainly, it’s a topic of hot research, and the value of it is very much recognized. I think that we’re working on it, but I think we are [a way off] from having hard tests we can order in clinical practice.
There have been many studies in the literature recently about the microbiome and the potential here both in diagnostic and therapeutic strategies in immunotherapy. How important is this area, in your opinion?
I think it’s very important—it’s important to understand under the relevance. I just came back from the society of Melanoma Research in Manchester, England, and both Drs Jennifer Wargo and Jennifer McQuade gave excellent talks in this area.
I think of the immune system in three parts. They’re not separate; they’re integrated:
Certainly, understanding the relevance of how an individual microbiome may be applicable to the response to immunotherapy and the development of the cancer is mind-boggling, but it’s a very, very important topic and we’re going to be hearing a lot about it as we move forward.
Dr Kathy Zackowski Discusses the Importance of Rehabilitation Research and Trials in MS
April 26th 2024Kathy Zackowski, PhD, National MS Society, expresses the inherent value of quality rehabilitation trials for broadening clinical understandings of multiple sclerosis (MS) and bettering patient outcomes.
Read More
Examining Low-Value Cancer Care Trends Amidst the COVID-19 Pandemic
April 25th 2024On this episode of Managed Care Cast, we're talking with the authors of a study published in the April 2024 issue of The American Journal of Managed Care® about their findings on the rates of low-value cancer care services throughout the COVID-19 pandemic.
Listen
Empowering Community Health Through Wellness and Faith
April 23rd 2024To help celebrate and recognize National Minority Health Month, we are bringing you a special month-long podcast series with our Strategic Alliance Partner, UPMC Health Plan. In the third episode, Camille Clarke-Smith, EdD, MS, CHES, CPT, discusses approaching community health holistically through spiritual and community engagement.
Listen
Dr Michael Farwell on FDG PET/CT Imaging to Predict Immunotherapy Response in Advanced Melanoma
April 15th 2024Michael Farwell, MD, associate professor of radiology at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, provides insights into a study on the benefits of using 18F-fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG) PET/CT imaging to detect metabolic tumor changes in skin cancer.
Read More