Groundbreaking research from our pancreatic cancer center revealed race-associated molecular differences in tumors that could impact how patients respond to immunotherapy. 🧬 In the study recently published by the American Association for Cancer Research, our researchers found that Black patients showed a higher prevalence of PD-L1 overexpression, a marker often linked with aggressive cancer behavior and a key target for immunotherapy treatments. Patients in the study also showed higher frequencies of of TP53 mutations and KRASG12R mutations that affect how quickly cancer grows and the body's ability to fight cancer. “This finding strongly supports that in clinical trials across the country, we need to enroll patients from different racial groups to reflect the racial makeup in the U.S. and to more accurately represent tumor molecular changes,” shared our lead researcher Dr. Ling Huang. Find the full study in the American Association for Cancer Research.
Chair of Medicine, Michigan State University College of Human Medicine
1wCongratulations, Ling Huang on this important work!! I would love to test whether these TP53 mutant cancer cells are sensitive to our ferroptosis inducing compounds!