Dr. Luke on Predictive Biomarkers in Metastatic Melanoma

Jason J. Luke, MD, FACP, associate professor of medicine, Division of Hematology/Oncology, and director of the Cancer Immunotherapeutics Center within the Immunology and Immunotherapy Program, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Hillman Cancer Center, discusses predictive biomarkers in metastatic melanoma.

Biomarkers such as BRAF mutations and PD-L1 status have helped guide therapy decisions in patients with metastatic melanoma, explains Luke.

Beyond these biomarkers, clinical factors can also inform prognosis, says Luke. For example, patients with low disease burden prior to treatment tend to respond best to therapy.

Tumor mutation burden and interferon levels associated with gene expression are also predictive biomarkers of response, explains Luke.

Investigational biomarkers including LAG3, myeloid cell gene expression, and adenosine signaling may further aid in stratifying which patients are likely to respond to treatment, concludes Luke.