UTSW Finds Potential Key to Predict Immunotherapy Toxicity

Researchers at UT Southwestern Medical Center have identified a novel parameter of T cells that could help oncologists anticipate which patients would be most likely to develop immunotherapy toxicity. The findings, published in the Journal for ImmunoTherapy of Cancer, could lead to improved treatments for a variety of cancers.

Immunotherapy has grown rapidly in recent years as a treatment for a wide range of common cancers. Some patients, however, acquire toxicities known as immune-related adverse events (irAEs), which can affect almost any organ system at any point during or after treatment. In rare cases, they can be fatal.