We tend to think of cancer as a single disease, but there are significant differences between blood cancers like leukemia and cancers that form solid tumors like malignant mesothelioma. Treatment and outlook for the two broad types are very different, but success in one area may translate into the other. Oncologists are hoping that recently reported success in treating leukemia with CAR-T therapy will carry over for patients with the rare, asbestos-related disease.
CAR-T Therapy Being Tested on Mesothelioma Patients
CAR-T is an acronym for Chimeric Antigen Receptor T-Cell therapy, and it is currently being tested on patients with both pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma. It is a new type of immunotherapy in which a sample of patient blood is removed and its T-cells — which fight disease within the body — are isolated.
The mesothelioma patients’ T-cells are then modified in the laboratory to produce a cancer-specific receptor molecule that targets and attaches to proteins on the surface of mesothelioma cells. The modified cells are then put back into the patients’ bodies, where it is hoped that they will multiply and kill the deadly malignant tumors.
Therapy Being Tested on Mesothelioma Patient Has Success in Leukemia Treatment
Though CAR-T has only recently been offered in clinical trials for mesothelioma patients, tests on leukemia patients have been going on for over ten years. This week a report in the journal Nature revealed that two patients with the blood-based cancer who received CAR-T cell therapy in 2010 have been completely cured of their cancer. Authors of the study referred to the treatment as “living drugs” because they stay in the body and evolve in response to changes in the cancer.
In discussing CAR-T’s success in treating blood cancers, study author Dr. Carl June also acknowledged the need for similar success in diseases like mesothelioma. “The big scientific challenge – and it’s a big one – is how to make this work in solid cancers,” he said.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, medical innovation is the key to better quality of life and longer survival. For more information, contact the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net today at 1-800-692-8608.
