Intermediate
Technical
In the Industry Vocabulary Test
tumor mutational burden
Also written as: TMB — Tumor Mutational Burden
A quantitative measure of the total number of mutations present in a tumor genome.
Full Definition
Tumor mutational burden (TMB) is a biomarker that quantifies the total number of somatic mutations per megabase of DNA in a tumor sample. High TMB is associated with increased likelihood of response to immunotherapy treatments, particularly checkpoint inhibitors. TMB calculation requires standardized methodologies and quality thresholds, as different assays and computational approaches can yield varying results. This metric has become increasingly important in precision oncology for treatment selection and clinical trial stratification.
Usage
Usage note: Often abbreviated as TMB in clinical contexts.
In Context
- "The patient's tumor mutational burden of 15 mutations per megabase qualified them for immunotherapy clinical trials." — Clinical report
- "Tumor mutational burden calculation varied significantly between whole exome and targeted panel sequencing approaches." — Research documentation
Also known as
TMB
mutational load
mutation density
Don't confuse with
microsatellite instability
tumor purity