Immunotherapy has revolutionized cancer treatment with its ability to boost the immune system by recognizing and attacking mutant tumor cells. However, not every patient responds to immunotherapy in the same way. A failure in a DNA repair mechanism in tumors, called “mismatch repair,” is the possible reason behind this selective patient outcome. The failure can occur due to a mutation in the DNA repair machinery or when the production of DNA repair machinery is halted altogether.
In both cases, the tumors accumulate high levels of mutations, making them ideal candidates for immunotherapy. The researchers also found that tumors with defective DNA repair proteins responded better to immunotherapy than those in which the production of DNA repair proteins was silenced. The findings not only help clinicians understand how immunotherapy manipulates the immune system but also emphasize that,…
