Advancements and Challenges in Blood-Based Biomarkers for Cancer Immunotherapy

The field of cancer immunology has seen significant advancements in recent years, particularly in the development of blood-based biomarkers for the immunologic characterization and therapy of cancer. These biomarkers offer a non-invasive means to assess the immune status of cancer patients, providing critical insights into disease progression and therapeutic responses. Despite the promise of these biomarkers, there remain several challenges and unanswered questions. Current research is focused on understanding the complex interactions between the immune system and cancer, with a particular emphasis on identifying reliable biomarkers that can predict patient outcomes and guide treatment decisions. Recent studies have highlighted the potential of both cell-based assays, such as flow cytometry, and molecular assays at the proteomic, transcriptomic, and genetic levels. However, there is still a need for comprehensive studies that address the limitations of these technologies and explore their full potential in clinical settings.

This research topic aims to explore the emerging technologies, prospects, and limitations of blood-based biomarkers in assessing the immunologic status and guiding the therapy of cancer patients. The primary objectives include evaluating the efficacy of these biomarkers in predicting and prognosticating cancer outcomes, understanding their role in patient stratification and therapy selection, and investigating their relationship with the tumor microenvironment. By addressing these objectives, the research seeks to enhance the understanding of immune dysregulation in cancer and improve the efficacy of immunotherapy.

To gather further insights in the application and limitations of blood-based biomarkers in cancer immunology, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:
- Cellular parameters as predictive and prognostic biomarkers in various cancers
- Molecular assays at the proteomic, transcriptomic, or genetic level with potential future applications in patient stratification and therapy selection
- Studies on the relationship between the tumor microenvironment and blood immunologic characteristics of cancer patients
- Studies on disease-specific patterns of immune dysregulation as assessed using blood-based methods in various cancers
- Any method (pharmacologic or other) to restore immunologic defects, as assessed using peripheral blood, and enhance the efficacy of immunotherapy in cancer patients, including preclinical and clinical studies

Please note: Manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics, computational analysis, or predictions of public databases which are not accompanied by validation (independent clinical or patient cohort, or biological validation in vitro or in vivo, which are not based on public databases) are not suitable for publication in this journal.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Case Report
• Clinical Trial
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Review
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: immune cell subsets, cellular immunity, immunomodulation, immunologic biomarkers, liquid biopsy

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.