The MD Anderson Cancer Center is conducting a study on an immunotherapy drug that is specifically for rare, advanced tumors. Pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma are both included in the study. The clinical trial is looking for effectiveness and safety of vudalimab. The treatment, also known as XmAb20717, was created by[…]
New Study
Proton Beam Radiation Therapy Use Increases for Mesothelioma and Lung Cancer
Proton beam radiation therapy is growing in popularity for treating mesothelioma and lung cancer. A study in JAMA Oncology looked at the use of this radiation for treating different types of cancer. There were almost 6 million patients in the study and data shows that proton radiation use tripled from[…]
Monoclonal Antibody Treatment was Found Not to be Effective on Pleural Mesothelioma
A phase II clinical trial comparing anetumab ravtansine to the chemotherapy drug vinorelbine did not have promising results for treating mesothelioma like researchers had hoped. Anetumab ravtansine is an immunotherapy drug that is a monoclonal antibody, which is an engineered antibody that can be used to fight cancer. Researchers found[…]
High HITHOC Dosage for Pleural Mesothelioma Improves Survival
High doses of hyperthermic intrathoracic chemotherapy (HITHOC) help pleural mesothelioma patients. A recent study found that when HITHOC is administered at a high dose, survival rates improve and periods of being disease free increase. HITHOC is the use of chemotherapy during surgery and is an experimental treatment for different types[…]
Two Cytoreductive Surgeries Can Improve Survival for Peritoneal Mesothelioma Patients
If peritoneal mesothelioma patients undergo a second surgery after recurrence, they can improve their survival. Data from a retrospective review from Wake Forest Baptist Medical Center shows that cytoreductive surgery and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) can be incredibly helpful for peritoneal disease sufferers. For some people, a second surgery has[…]
Checkmate 743 Shows Immunotherapy is Better for Mesothelioma Patients Who Cannot Receive Surgery
A clinical trial called Checkmate 743, which looks at the immunotherapy drugs nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy), shows that the combination can create a better quality of life when compared with the chemotherapy drugs pemetrexed, cisplatin, and carboplatin. Patient reported outcomes were recently reported. People who took Opdivo and Yervoy[…]
Platelet Count Can Potentially Influence Mesothelioma Survival
Mesothelioma is a hard-to-treat cancer. Usually chemotherapy, surgery, radiotherapy, and immunotherapy are used, but they do not do enough to save people’s lives. Scientists may have figured out why this is the case and could potentially have found the main causes that affect survival. These include stage of the tumor,[…]
A Cancer Vaccine Could Potentially Help Mesothelioma Patients
Researchers are looking at a vaccine to maintain patient health after cancer treatment, which could be effective for mesothelioma in the future. The vaccine is specifically made for each patient based on the individual’s biology. The trial is currently being tested on head and neck cancer. It does not usually[…]
Researchers are Targeting Fibrosis to Improve Mesothelioma Care
Researchers have found that targeting lung fibrosis can help people with mesothelioma. People with mesothelioma usually suffer from fibrosis, which is the stiffening of tissue surrounding tumors. Certain drugs to treat mesothelioma are not very effective because the fibrosis prevents the drugs from penetrating the tumor. It also prevents the[…]
OT-101 Useful for COVID-19 and Cancers Like Mesothelioma
Researchers are looking at a new treatment for mesothelioma. It is a multimodal treatment (multiple treatments combined) consisting of the immunotherapy drug Keytruda and a new drug called OT-101. OT-101 is an antisense drug, which is a drug that blocks molecules that make certain proteins. The drug is also effective[…]
