Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a rare and very aggressive cancer with a poor outlook. One cancer treatment has brought hope though. The treatment is known as immune checkpoint inhibitors. There is potential for better outcomes when patients are given this treatment. A new article in Open Respiratory Archives provides a history of recent advances in immunotherapy, including immune checkpoint inhibitors, for pleural mesothelioma patients.
Malignant pleural mesothelioma starts in pleural cavity cells and comes mainly from exposure to asbestos. There are three cell types including epithelioid, sarcomatoid, and biphasic. Cell type shows diversity and complexity of the disease. Immunotherapy treatments can use the immune system or genetic information to help boost effectiveness of other treatments. Immunotherapy is one way to treat mesothelioma cancer. It is also referred to as biologic therapy. It uses the immune system to fight cancer cells. Immunotherapy treatments usually attempt to stimulate an immune response in the patient’s body to fight the cancer.
Several immunotherapy treatments have been used to treat mesothelioma. Immune checkpoint inhibitors are one way to use immunotherapy to fight cancer. Promising inhibitors for mesothelioma include PD-1 and CTLA-4 inhibitors. Nivolumab and ipilimumab are the drugs in question and show that when combined, they boost survival. This is good news for mesothelioma patients. New technologies are also showing the complex genes behind mesothelioma. Knowing this can help doctors and researchers identify possible treatments for the disease. Mutations in CDKN2A, NF2, and BAP1 are guiding research and leading to advanced therapies and treatments. It is crucial for doctors and researchers to know about these treatments, so they can tailor specific therapies to mesothelioma patients.
Mesothelioma is a challenging cancer to treat, but immunotherapy is making a huge difference in boosting survival. More research is needed though to find markers and other weaknesses that mesothelioma could have. Teamwork and research are keys to a better future for mesothelioma patients. This research will also optimize current treatments for mesothelioma. Mesothelioma is a tough cancer to treat, however, there is hope in the form of immunotherapy. With more research comes more discoveries about the disease. We are also learning to use the immune system in better ways than we ever have, allowing for more personalized treatments. Teamwork and dedication will help us to beat this cancer. Without research, we would not be where we are today in the fight against many different cancers, but especially mesothelioma. Mesothelioma used to have a very short survival time, but thanks to research, survival times have increased greatly compared to what they were.
