Purpose: This is a single institution, single-arm, window of opportunity pilot trial of pembrolizumab in patients with resectable malignant pleural mesothelioma. All patients will undergo a pretreatment PET/CT scan for clinical staging and a VATS procedure to acquire pretreatment tissue. Three cycles of pembrolizumab will then be administered (200 mg IV every 21 days). A PET/CT scan will then be repeated to assess response to pembrolizumab and then surgical resection will be performed via an extended/pleurectomy decortication at least 4 weeks after the third dose of pembrolizumab. Standard adjuvant chemotherapy consisting of cisplatin and pemetrexed for 4 cycles (every 21 days) will be given starting about 6-8 weeks following surgery, after a new baseline CT scan is obtained. Restaging CT scans will be obtained to assess response after every two cycles of chemotherapy. After the completion of standard chemotherapy, optional adjuvant treatment with pembrolizumab will be given to eligible patients for 1 year post-surgery.
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Safety and Efficacy of TTFields Concomitant With Pemetrexed and Cisplatin or Carboplatin in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (STELLAR)
Purpose:The study is a prospective, single arm, non-randomized, open label phase II trial, designed to study the safety and efficacy of a medical device, the NovoTTF-100L concomitant with Pemetrexed and cisplatin or carboplatin in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma patients. The device is an experimental, portable, battery operated device for chronic administration of alternating electric fields (termed TTFields or TTF) to the region of the malignant tumor, by means of surface, insulated electrode arrays.
Mesothelioma and Crohn’s Disease – A Possible Link
Peritoneal mesothelioma is an incredibly rare cancer that makes up about 30% of all mesothelioma cases. This type of mesothelioma affects the peritoneum, which is a protective membrane that surrounds the abdomen and allows the surrounding organs to expand and contract easily. When asbestos fibers become ingested or inhaled, the[…]
Study of the Safety and Efficacy of Amatuximab in Combination With Pemetrexed and Cisplatin in Subjects With Unresectable Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM). (ARTEMIS)
PurposeThis is a multicenter, double-blind, randomized, parallel-group study, using a placebo control or amatuximab 5 mg/kg, administered weekly, designed to evaluate the safety and efficacy of amatuximab in combination with pemetrexed and cisplatin in subjects with unresectable Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma who have not received prior systemic therapy
Intrapleural Photodynamic Therapy in a Multimodal Treatment for Patients With Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MesoPDT)
Purpose: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive tumour with poor prognosis (median survival <13 months), and high resistance to chemotherapy. Extended pleurectomy/decortication (eP/D) is a debulking surgery of MPM but cannot be considered as a curative treatment. Therefore it has been suggested that eP/D may be of interest if combined with intra-operative treatment and adjuvant therapies.
Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) is an innovative treatment based on the rationale that tumour cells, if previously treated with photosensitizing drugs (Photofrin), will die when exposed to light at a particular wavelength. Interestingly PDT might also stimulate anti-tumour immune response through the release of tumour antigens and induced inflammation.
PDT was tested in phase I-II trials for MPM in combination with EPP or eP/D, and chemotherapy. US studies from J Friedberg et al found very promising survival results in MPM when combining eP/D, but not EPP, intra-operative PDT and chemotherapy (cisplatin-pemetrexed), with a median overall survival of 31.7 months.
However, the definitive value of intra-pleural PDT combined to eP/D in the treatment of MPM still need to be validated. The same multimodal treatment has been established in Lille, the French national expert centre for MPM, with the help of our american colleagues. Therefore, this phase II trial proposes to patients to benefit from the combination of eP/D, intra-operative PDT then chemotherapy by cisplatin-pemetrexed and prophylactic radiotherapy.
Primary endpoint is the feasibility for the patients to have the full multimodal treatment of MPM including intrapleural PDT without unacceptable or unexpected grade III-IV toxicities. Secondary endpoints are PFS, OS, ORR, and quality of life. If the feasibility of such treatment would be confirmed in France, a multicentric, randomized trial comparing this experimental treatment vs control arm (same multimodal treatment without PDT) is planned.
Types of Asbestos
There are six different types of asbestos that occur naturally throughout the world. Asbestos is actually the generic name given and is not a mineralogical definition. A mineral product that is flexible, possesses high tensile strength, is heat resistant, resistant to chemical degradation, and can be woven into fabric is[…]
11C-Methionine PET/CT Imaging in Patients Affected by Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM)
Purpose:Prospective exploratory study specifically investigating the role of 11C-Methionine PET/CT imaging in patients affected by Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM) and candidate to pleurodesis.
Mesothelioma Incidence Rates Around the World
Thousands of people each year are diagnosed with and die from asbestos related diseases such as mesothelioma in the United States each year. But how does that compare to the rest of the world? Even though asbestos is still legal in the United States, the United States’ incidence rate for[…]
Pembrolizumab in Treating Patients With Malignant Mesothelioma
Purpose:This phase II trial studies how well pembrolizumab works in treating patients with malignant mesothelioma, a cancer of the linings around the lungs (pleura) or abdomen (peritoneum). Monoclonal antibodies, such as pembrolizumab, work by blocking a protein called programmed cell death 1 (PD-1) which may stimulate an immune response and kill tumor cells.
The Importance of Clinical Trials – Especially for Mesothelioma Victims
A rare and aggressive malignancy, mesothelioma, is cancer affecting the lining that surrounds various organs and cavities within the body. Mesothelioma gets its name from this lining, which is called the mesothelium. Mesothelioma is a cancer that is strictly caused by asbestos exposure. Victims are typically only given a year, sometimes[…]
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