Dados do Resumo

Título

Development of a Biospecimen Repository to Investigate Responses to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors at Barretos Cancer Hospital

Introdução

Cancer immunotherapy relies on the concept that tumors can be identified and targeted by an activated immune system. However, tumor cells evolve mechanisms to evade immune detection. Immune checkpoints regulate the balance of co-stimulatory and co-inhibitory signals, crucial for maintaining immune tolerance and controlling normal immune responses. While immunotherapy shows high success rates, some patients do not respond. To enhance treatment outcomes, it is necessary to improve the evaluation and understanding of non-responders.

Objetivo

To create a biorepository with samples from patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICI) at Barretos Cancer Hospital, thus enabling analysis and comparison of the different treatment response profiles.

Métodos

Through screening and inclusion of eligible patients, peripheral blood was collected before the first cycle of immunotherapy and at specific time points during treatment. Serum and plasma were isolated, followed by peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) separation by density gradient centrifugation. All samples were labeled and properly stored.

Resultados

Between October 2019 and July 2024, 209 patients were included: 76 with melanoma, 67 with lung cancer, 25 with head and neck cancer, 9 with colorectal cancer, 8 with tumors in the digestive system, 7 with non-melanoma skin cancer, 6 with breast cancer, 6 with tumors in the urinary system and 5 in the female reproductive system, comprising more than 6,330 serum/plasma and 4,200 PBMC samples collected for future immune-oncology studies.

Conclusões

This unique biorepository will allow researchers to unravel the mechanisms of response to treatment with ICIs and develop new strategies to fight cancer.

Financiador do resumo

FAPESP - 2019/07111-9 and 2024/08589-8

Palavras Chave

immunotherapy; immune checkpoints; biorepository