Immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICPis) have revolutionized the therapeutic landscape of lung cancer with unprecedented survival results in most of the clinical settings. After initial signals of activity in pretreated non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), the use of ICPis has progressively changed the standard of care in 1st line metastatic setting, locally advanced disease and, more recently, early-stage NSCLC. However, except for programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) tumour expression, no predictive biomarker has been identified to these agents, posing several challenges in clinical practice. Furthermore, the use of ICPis in small cell lung cancer (SCLC) either in extensive stage or limited disease is regardless of PD-L1 status or any other predictive biomarker. The identification of predictive biomarkers is essential to reduce the costs of these treatments and to avoid unnecessary toxicities to patients who cannot benefit from these drugs.
This Research Topic will focus on studies evaluating the identification of predictive biomarkers to immune checkpoint inhibitors in NSCLC and SCLC. There is an urgent need of novel reliable predictive biomarkers to these agents that might drive the therapeutic decision making, including escalating and de-escalating therapeutic strategies as well as the identification of the mechanisms of primary and acquired resistance to immunotherapy in lung cancer. Original research papers, experimental studies in in vitro and in vivo models, review articles, brief research reports and clinical studies as well meta-analyses are all welcome for consideration.
Please note that Dr Alessandro Russo has received advisory board or speaker bureau honoraria from AstraZeneca, MSD, Novartis, Pfizer, BMS, Takeda, Amgen, Regeneron, Daiichi Sankyo, Merck, and Johnson & Johnson; Dr Christian Rolfo has received speaker honoraria from AstraZeneca, Roche and MSD, advisory board honoraria from Inivata, Archer, Boston. Please also note that manuscripts consisting solely of bioinformatics or computational analysis of public genomic or transcriptomic databases which are not accompanied by robust and relevant validation (clinical cohort or biological validation in vitro or in vivo) are out of scope for this Research Topic.
Keywords: Immunotherapy, NSCLC, SCLC, liquid biopsy, biomarker, extracellular vesicles, miRNA, ctDNA, CTCs, TMB, bTMB, PD-1, PD-L1, resistance
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.
