ASCO 2021 | Predicting treatment responses with CTCs in ccRCC

Hamid Emamekhoo, MD, The University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, Madison, WI, discusses the potential of circulating tumor cell (CTC)-based biomarkers for predicting and monitoring treatment responses in patients with clear cell renal cell carcinoma (ccRCC). While the number of approved agents available to patients with RCC has grown, there is a lack of biomarkers able to predict which patients would likely benefit from certain combinations. In this study, CTCs were identified using CAIX and CAXII, evaluated for PD-L1 and HLA-I expression, and correlated with patient’s treatment response. CTC levels were found to correlate with disease progression, while PD-L1 and HLA-I expression were predictive of treatment response. Additionally, longitudinal analysis of CTCs identified the potential of CTC enumeration to act as a pharmacodynamic biomarker. This interview took place at the American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) 2021 Virtual Meeting.