Tumor Mutation Burden Biomarker Inches Closer To Acceptance In Cancer

20 Apr 2018

• By Emily Hayes

Data from AACR puts use of tumor mutation burden as biomarker for lung cancer outcomes in spotlight, but some experts argue the test is not ready for prime time.

Bristol-Myers Squibb Co.'s pivotal CheckMate 227 data highlighted the potential for the emerging tumor mutation burden biomarker in a subset of first-line non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients to identify likely responders to its checkpoint inhibitors – but both regulators and practitioners will need to consider the role the data plays in guiding treatment.

Tumor mutation burden (TMB) refers to the number of mutations in tumor cells; a high mutation burden is thought to...