Predictive biomarkers for immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy: we need to keep searching

Immune checkpoint inhibitors are being increasingly used in the management of advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). Identifying patients most likely to respond to these agents has become an increasingly important area of investigation. In a recently published analysis, Dr. Hellman and colleagues evaluated the characteristics of tumor mutational burden (TMB) as a biomarker for sensitivity to checkpoint inhibition (1). The aim of this study was to stratify patients on the basis of TMB—high or low—and evaluate whether TMB serves as a useful tool for selecting patients more likely to respond to first-line nivolumab plus ipilimumab compared to traditional chemotherapy