Thymic Health Emerges as a Pan-Cancer Predictor of Immunotherapy Response
TL;DR
A large real-world and TRACERx NSCLC study shows radiographically assessed thymic health, quantified by a deep-learning CT system, strongly associates with better progression-free and overall survival in patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitors across several cancers. Thymic health performed comparably to established biomarkers like PD-L1 and tumor mutational burden in prognostication, and its link to T cell receptor diversity and immune pathways supports its relevance as a host-immune biomarker and potential target for timing and strategies to boost immunotherapy efficacy.
- Thymic health and immunotherapy outcomes in patients with cancer Nature
- Thymic health consequences in adults Nature
- This overlooked organ may be more vital for longevity than scientists realized Scientific American
- Thymus May Be Critical for Longevity and Cancer Immunotherapy Response Harvard Medical School
- The Forgotten Organ That May Decide How Long You Live ScienceBlog.com
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