Patients diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma face a challenging prognosis with limited options. But a groundbreaking study led by an international team of researchers is offering new hope. The group examined the use of immunotherapy both before and after surgery, and found that the protocol offered improved survival.
Clinical Trial Tests Immunotherapy in Operable Mesothelioma
The results of the Phase 2 mesothelioma study were presented this week at the 2025 World Conference on Lung Cancer by Joshua Reuss, M.D., assistant professor at Georgetown University’s Lombardi Comprehensive Cancer Center and the study’s first co-author, and Patrick Forde, M.D., professor at the Trinity St. James’s Cancer Institute in Dublin, Ireland. Both Reuss and Forde are adjunct faculty at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.
Their study is the first to test the use of pre- and post-surgery immune checkpoint blockades on patients with resectable mesothelioma. The researchers used a combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab before surgery, followed by postoperative nivolumab, and found the approach was safe, feasible, and showed encouraging survival results.
Improved Mesothelioma Results with Pre- and Post-Surgical Immunotherapy
More than 80% of the mesothelioma patients enrolled in the study were able to undergo surgery within the planned timeframe after receiving immunotherapy. Those treated with the dual regimen had a median survival of 28.6 months—well above the 18-month average for mesothelioma. Nearly 36% of participants remained alive and disease-free at follow-up, a significant outcome in a cancer that is notoriously resistant to traditional therapies. Side effects of the treatment were manageable.
According to Valsamo “Elsa” Anagnostou, M.D., Ph.D., the Alex Grass Professor of Oncology, co-director of the upper aerodigestive cancers program, and the study’s senior author, “This is the first published clinical trial to show that perioperative combination immune checkpoint blockade is not only feasible but potentially beneficial in resectable mesothelioma. The approach mirrors what we’ve seen succeed in lung cancer, and opens a door for patients with mesothelioma, where very few options exist.”
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, this trial offers hope that immunotherapy combined with surgery will give you a better chance at longer survival. For information on other breakthroughs and resources available to you, contact the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net today at 1-800-692-8608.