For years, mesothelioma doctors have cautiously reviewed data from the CheckMate 743 study evaluating first-line immune checkpoint inhibition of the rare, asbestos-related cancer. Last week the primary researchers on the investigation published their three-year follow-up on the use of nivolumab and ipilimumab, concluding that the drug combination continued to provide long-term overall survival benefit for patients with unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma.
Study Finds Significant Improved Overall Mesothelioma Survival
Six months ago, Professor Doctor Solange Peters of the Oncology Department at Lausanne University Hospital issued a preliminary press release reporting on the group’s three-year mesothelioma findings. Now they have published their conclusions in the February 2022 issue of Annals of Oncology. The study represents the first long-term survival data in a phase III study of the protocol.
The group found that after a median follow-up of 43.1 months, 23% of patients treated with nivolumab plus ipilimumab were alive at 3 years compared to 15% of the chemotherapy group, and 14% remained progression-free compared to 1% of the chemotherapy group. The response benefit was durable in the nivolumab plus ipilimumab arm; 28% of responders remained in response at 3 years compared with none in the chemotherapy arm.
Researchers Say Mesothelioma Study Reveals Significant Progress
In their article on the success of the three-year study, the researchers wrote that even mesothelioma patients who discontinued the nivolumab plus ipilimumab treatment due to related adverse events experienced median overall survival of 25.4 months, with 34% maintaining their response for three years after discontinuation.
In their conclusion, the group said that the regimen represents “significant progress” in the field and a confirmation that the protocol can be used as “a standard-of-care treatment for unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma, regardless of histology.” They also noted the continuing studies looking into combining the treatment with chemotherapy, and remarked that those studies would provide further insights into treatment of the disease.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma, this research gives cause for hope of a better prognosis. For more information, contact the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net at 1-800-692-8608.
