AUTHOR=Nicoś Marcin , Krawczyk Paweł , Crosetto Nicola , Milanowski Janusz 

TITLE=The Role of Intratumor Heterogeneity in the Response of Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer to Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors

JOURNAL=Frontiers in Oncology

VOLUME=10

YEAR=2020

URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/oncology/articles/10.3389/fonc.2020.569202

DOI=10.3389/fonc.2020.569202

ISSN=2234-943X

ABSTRACT=<p>Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) represent one of the most promising therapeutic approaches in metastatic non-small cell lung cancer (M-NSCLC). Unfortunately, approximately 50–75% of patients do not respond to this treatment modality. Intratumor heterogeneity (ITH) at the genetic and phenotypic level is considered as a major cause of anticancer therapy failure, including resistance to ICIs. Recent observations suggest that spatial heterogeneity in the composition and spatial organization of the tumor microenvironment plays a major role in the response of M-NSCLC patients to ICIs. In this mini review, we first present a brief overview of the use of ICIs in M-NSCLC. We then discuss the role of genetic and non-genetic ITH on the efficacy of ICIs in patients with M-NSCLC.</p>