Dr Jarushka Naidoo Discusses Evolution of Biomarker Testing

Biomarker testing will start to evolve to look more at combination therapies, said Jarushka Naidoo, MBBCh, of the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins.

Transcript

There are several potential biomarkers that have emerged in recent years, but in what areas and for what treatments are biomarkers still urgently needed to guide treatment decisions?

I think there are tumor types that are rarer, in which biomarker testing is still in its infancy. So, for those tumor types, I think there is still a way to go. Also, there are tumor types that appear to respond better to combinations, and we’re in an era of giving combinations, either with other immunotherapy agents or with chemotherapy.

So, I think biomarker testing is going to evolve to not just look at checkpoint inhibitor monotherapy, but also to look at combinations. And the biomarkers may be different depending on what treatment we give.