Malignant mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer that afflicts approximately 3,500 Americans every year. The cancer’s tumors usually appear in the lungs, but one in five patients is diagnosed with peritoneal mesothelioma, in which tumors arise in the abdominal cavity. This aggressive malignancy is notoriously hard to treat, but mesothelioma specialists in New York recently reported some success from combining the standard platinum-based chemotherapy treatment with immunotherapy.
Case Report Details Outcomes of Two Patients with Peritoneal Mesothelioma
Writing in the scientific publication Journal of Immunotherapy, doctors at New York’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center report on two different patients with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma who both relapsed after courses of Alimta and a platinum-based chemotherapy drug followed by cytoreductive surgery. With no second-line options available, the physicians administered the immune checkpoint inhibitor Keytruda. Their improvement was dramatic and surprising, with one of the patient’s tumors disappearing entirely.
Peritoneal mesothelioma is highly aggressive, and patients have few options. Many find that their tumors are identified as inoperable because their disease is so advanced, but most are eligible for chemotherapy treatment that can shrink tumors or stop their growth. Unfortunately, this effect is only temporary.
Mesothelioma Patient Relapse Reversed by Immunotherapy/Chemotherapy Combination
Though most patients are given no other options after their tumors return, the results realized by these two patients suggest that the same type of treatment may work for others. According to lead author Dr. Michael Foote, the immunotherapy/chemotherapy combination was attempted “without validated biomarkers of ICI response.”
Though he acknowledges that these particular mesothelioma patients’ “unique genomic landscape” likely had something to do with how well they responded, he adds that their findings justify additional study of the novel combination.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net can help you access the information and resources that you need. Contact us today at 1-800-692-8608.
