Immunoscore - For Colon Cancer
Designed to deliver critical information to guide chemotherapy decision-making, Immunoscore® can be used in Stage II localized colon cancer to help physicians identify patients who may be spared adjuvant chemotherapy, and in Stage III localized colon cancer to inform them about the optimal treatment duration for their patients.
By providing an accurate measurement of T lymphocyte infiltration into the tumor, Immunoscore® gives healthcare providers insight into the risk of relapse.
A low Immunoscore® means there are few T-cells present to fight the cancer, indicating a high risk of relapse. Conversely, a high Immunoscore® means there is high infiltration of T lymphocytes, indicating a lower risk of relapse.
Immunoscore® for colon cancer assesses the patient’s immune response at the tumor site to refine the patient’s risk profile and develop an optimized treatment plan that minimizes exposure to potentially toxic chemotherapy.
Immunoscore® has been validated in an international study conducted on more than 2,500 Stage I-III colon cancer patients [1]. This study showed that Immunoscore® is a powerful and independent prognostic factor for patient survival which provided the greatest contribution to patient prognostication of all assessed factors. In validation studies of stage III colon cancers, only Immunoscore® High patients experienced a significant therapy benefit.
In 2020, Immunoscore® was included in the ESMO Clinical Practice Guidelines for Diagnosis, Treatment, and Follow-up of Colon Cancer and the World Health Organization (WHO), in its latest edition of the Digestive System Tumours, cited immune response as an essential and desirable diagnostic criterion for colorectal cancer, in addition to traditional histological parameters*.
*The World Health Organization is not endorsing the Immunoscore® commercial assay.
In stage II colon cancer, Immunoscore® can identify a large subset of patients (70%) that are classified as high-risk by TNM staging but whose actual risk of relapse is similar to that of low-risk patients. These patients can potentially be spared adjuvant chemotherapy and the associated toxicities[2].
70% Of Patients Classified As Clinically High Risk Actually Have The Same Risk Of Relapse As Low-Risk Patients When Immunoscore Is High.
In Stage III colon cancer, Immunoscore® informs about the optimal duration of FOLFOX treatment, maximizing the benefit-risk balance by avoiding unnecessary exposure to chemotherapy associated toxicities.
50% Of Patients Benefit The Most From Full Chemotheropy Duration
Immunoscore® values are reported based on pre-defined cut-offs in categorical scores (IS 0 to 4) and in 2 categories of recurrence risk: a higher Immunoscore® is associated with a lower risk of recurrence[1, 3-4]. Based on the result of this recurrence risk, physicians have the possibility to implement a personalized management for their patients, including both TNM staging and Immune parameters.