Whole exome sequencing predicts whether patients respond to cancer immunotherapy

Immunotherapies, such as immune checkpoint inhibitors, have transformed the treatment of advanced stage cancers. Unlike chemotherapies that kill cancer cells, these drugs help the body's immune system to find and destroy cancer cells themselves. Unfortunately, only a subset of patients responds long-term to immune checkpoint inhibitors -- and these treatments can come at a high cost and with side effects. Researchers have developed a two-step approach using whole exome sequencing to zero in on g...