Targeted therapies continue to be key components of cancer treatment. New approaches to detection of acquired resistance at the genomic level, in combination with new therapies, help to overcome the challenges that are seen frequently, rapidly and broadly across tumor pathologies, and provide opportunities for cancer management. In the last several years, a new breed of modalities called immune checkpoint inhibitors have come to the forefront of clinically effective treatments. A plethora of rapid approvals and early access initiatives have seen anti-cytotoxic T-lymphocyte-associated antigen-4, and particularly anti-programmed death receptor-1 therapies, deployed in a number of tumor indications of high unmet need. With the rise of immune checkpoint inhibition, and the broader resurgence in the immuno-oncology field, we are facing challenges in the prediction of response.
Keywords: biomarkers; companion diagnostics (CDx); complementary diagnostics (cDx); immune-checkpoint inhibitors (ICI); immuno-oncology; oncology; precision medicine; targeted therapy.