There’s no such thing as a good cancer, but some are particularly bad: malignant mesothelioma is one, and there are many other cancers that are notoriously hard to stall or stop once they reach an advanced stage. But an innovative company headquartered in Germany has tested a new oral monotherapy that shows real promise for patients diagnosed with these challenging tumor types.
MorphoSys Test of Tulmimetostat on Mesothelioma Called Encouraging
Morphosys presented the results of a Phase ½ study of tulmimetostat monotherapy in patients diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer, lymphoma, ovarian clear cell carcinoma, endometrial carcinoma, and urothelial and other metastatic solid cancers at the 34th Symposium on Molecular Targets and Cancer Therapeutics. All of the patients had previously undergone at least three prior lines of therapy before being dosed with 350 mg of tulmimetostat daily.
The test revealed that in these heavily pretreated mesothelioma patients and others, advanced cancers either showed response or disease stabilization. The therapy is a selective dual inhibitor of EZH2 and EZh1, that was developed to increase potency, to expand residence time on target, and to have a longer half-life.
Study Included Nine Mesothelioma Patients
The study evaluated the effect of tulmimetostat on 52 patients diagnosed with a variety of advanced cancers, including nine diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma. Of those nine, two had partial responses and four experienced disease stabilization. The patients diagnosed with other cancers experienced similar results, with overall disease control rate established at 66.7%.
Speaking at the presentation, Charles Drescher, M.D., Gynecologic Oncologist and Medical Director for Gynecologic Cancer Research at the Swedish Cancer Institute in Seattle, Washington, said, “These early data support further investigation into the broad therapeutic potential of tulmimetostat in heavily pretreated patients with advanced cancers. Advanced cancer patients who have progressed following prior therapies have significant treatment needs that might benefit from a targeted approach with an EZH2 inhibitor. We look forward to learning more as the trial progresses.”
Innovative research is the best answer to malignant mesothelioma, and studies like these offer real hope for a breakthrough. If you have been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma and you need information or resources, contact the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net today at 1-800-692-8608.
