Conexiant
Login
  • The Analytical Scientist
  • The Cannabis Scientist
  • The Medicine Maker
  • The Ophthalmologist
  • The Pathologist
  • The Traditional Scientist
The Pathologist
  • Explore Pathology

    Explore

    • Latest
    • Insights
    • Case Studies
    • Opinion & Personal Narratives
    • Research & Innovations
    • Product Profiles

    Featured Topics

    • Molecular Pathology
    • Infectious Disease
    • Digital Pathology

    Issues

    • Latest Issue
    • Archive
  • Subspecialties
    • Oncology
    • Histology
    • Cytology
    • Hematology
    • Endocrinology
    • Neurology
    • Microbiology & Immunology
    • Forensics
    • Pathologists' Assistants
  • Training & Education

    Career Development

    • Professional Development
    • Career Pathways
    • Workforce Trends

    Educational Resources

    • Guidelines & Recommendations
    • App Notes

    Events

    • Webinars
    • Live Events
  • Events
    • Live Events
    • Webinars
  • Profiles & Community

    People & Profiles

    • Power List
    • Voices in the Community
    • Authors & Contributors
  • Multimedia
    • Video
    • Podcasts
Subscribe
Subscribe

False

The Pathologist / Issues / 2023 / Mar / Tackling TKI Troubles
Oncology Oncology Omics Genetics and epigenetics

Tackling TKI Troubles

Does the tumor microenvironment hold the key to predicting therapy response?

By George Francis Lee 03/22/2023 News 2 min read

Share

In recent years, tyrosine kinase inhibitors (TKIs) that target epidermal growth factor receptors (EGFR) have become first-line treatment for cases of lung cancer. However, despite their success, EGFR TKIs do not display the same efficacy across different patients – even in those who have EGFR-sensitizing mutations.

A team of researchers, however, may have found a solution to this TKI trouble by using the features of the tumor-microenvironment to predict the result of targeted therapies in select patients. The researchers used deep learning analysis of H&E-stained biopsies to develop a model that can predict how patients with EGFR-mutant metastatic lung cancer will respond to therapies. Analysis of these tumor tissue images allowed the team to identify interactions between tumor and stroma cells, which in turn allowed them to accurately predict how patients would respond.

Credit: Joseph Szulczewski, David Inman, Kevin Eliceiri, and Patricia Keely, Carbone Cancer Center at the Univ. of Wisconsin, National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health

The team found that higher tumor–tumor interactions were linked with a greater overall benefit to patients, whereas more tumor–stroma interactions showed less benefit – suggesting that the latter interplay is involved in people’s resistance to targeted therapies

In light of these findings, the paper established that patients with EGFR-mutant lung cancer and higher amounts of tumor–stroma interactions have better likelihood at responding to immunotherapy, which could have further implications for treatment plans and treatment development. In addition to this, the authors correlated signatures drawn from pathology images with established lung adenocarcinoma subtypes. This relationship between groups that are unlikely to benefit from treatment and faster-growing cancers echoes similar findings in recent work that observed significant instances of high-grade subtypes in patients with cancers resistant to EGFR TKI (2).

That said, the authors state that the study’s methodology sample size was relatively small. Furthermore, the prediction model only offered insights on intertumor rather than intratumor heterogeneity. Further research is needed to establish how these differ and what effects intratumour heterogeneity has on clinical outcomes, including studies involving larger datasets and patients without sensitizing EGFR mutations.

Newsletters

Receive the latest pathology news, personalities, education, and career development – weekly to your inbox.

Newsletter Signup Image

References

  1. S Wang et al., “Features of tumor-microenvironment images predict targeted therapy survival benefit in patients with EGFR-mutant lung cancer,” J Clin Invest, 133, 2023 (2023). PMID: 36647832.
  2. Yu X, et al. “Adenocarcinoma of high-grade patterns associated with distinct outcome of first-line chemotherapy or egfr-tkis in patients of relapsed lung cancer,” Cancer Manag Res, 13, 3981 (2021) PMID: 34040439.

About the Author(s)

George Francis Lee

Interested in how disease interacts with our world. Writing stories covering subjects like politics, society, and climate change.

More Articles by George Francis Lee

Explore More in Pathology

Dive deeper into the world of pathology. Explore the latest articles, case studies, expert insights, and groundbreaking research.

False

Advertisement

Recommended

False

False

The Pathologist
Subscribe

About

  • About Us
  • Work at Conexiant Europe
  • Terms and Conditions
  • Privacy Policy
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us

Copyright © 2025 Texere Publishing Limited (trading as Conexiant), with registered number 08113419 whose registered office is at Booths No. 1, Booths Park, Chelford Road, Knutsford, England, WA16 8GS.