There is sometimes a significant gap between the results of clinical trials and what physicians see in the real world, and that can lead to unexpected outcomes. To assess whether the use of ipilimumab and nivolumab in mesothelioma patients would deliver what was indicated in the renowned CheckMate 743 study, a multicenter group of physicians conducted an analysis based on patients in a real-world setting. Their findings will guide patient treatment going forward.
Mesothelioma Physician and Researcher Explains Study
According to Dr. Arthi Sridhar of the University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, the CheckMate 743 study of ipilimumab and nivolumab in patients with unresectable mesothelioma led to recent FDA approval and significant hope among those diagnosed with the rare and fatal form of cancer. But because of what she calls “a paucity of data regarding these patients outside of a clinical trial,” a multicenter retrospective study was conducted to assess real-world outcomes and adverse events.
Dr. Sridhar describes the patients identified for the study as “reflective of the population impacted by this disease,” saying that among the 90 patients who received the combination in the front-line setting and 36 who received it after disease progression, most had pleural mesothelioma and epithelioid histology was the most common subtype.
Mesothelioma Study Echoes Clinical Trial Results
The review showed that there was no significant difference in progression-free survival between those patients who had received the ipilimumab and nivolumab combination as a frontline treatment and those who received it after progression. They also found the real-world results very similar to what had been reported in the CheckMate 743 study. The same similarity held true for median overall survival.
The group believes that their data has key clinical implications for mesothelioma patients and presented their results at the recent meeting of the IASLC 2024 World Conference on Lung Cancer. Dr. Sridhar says that their next step will be to expand the sample size and add a third control arm that includes patients who were only treated using chemotherapy.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, innovative treatment options offer real hope. For information about the resources available to you, contact the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net today at 11-800-692-8608.
