Like many other cancers, malignant mesothelioma cells express a protein called PD-1. Though this protein is meant to protect the body from infection, cancer cells compromise its mechanism and use it to protect themselves. Immunotherapy targets PD-1, inhibiting its action so that mesothelioma cells are vulnerable to cancer treatments, but the protocol doesn’t work for everybody. Israeli researchers have announced that they’ve created a technology that accurately predicts individual patients’ responses to these therapies.
Immunotherapy Drugs Approved for Treatment of Malignant Mesothelioma
Immunotherapy treatments represent breakthroughs in the treatment of malignant mesothelioma. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration has approved Opdivo and Yervoy as well as Keytruda for those diagnosed with the rare, asbestos-related cancer, but not every patient responds.
Recent studies have indicated that mesothelioma patients who suffer the worst side effects may experience the best results and longest progression-free survival, but this is not predictive. Up until now, there has been no way to identify which patients are the best candidates, and this can lead to false hopes for improvement and wasted money and time.
Israeli Researchers Announce Technology that May Aid Mesothelioma Patients
A just-published study conducted by researchers at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Beersheba may represent a significant change in how immunotherapy is used on mesothelioma patients. Writing in the journal ScienceAdvances, the scientists have indicated that “groundbreaking” bio-sensing technology can predict the response of cancer patients to anti-PD1 drugs, measuring the functional binding of PD1 ligands to predict their response to the drugs.
In noting that both PD1 and PDL1 scores generated from the technology correlate with the clinical response to anti-PD1 treatments, the authors write, “The potential clinical applications of the IcAR assay are promising…. Further development of additional IcARs to assess the functionality of other immune-suppressive ligands could enable personalized treatment for patients with cancer. These advances have the potential to transform the IcAR assay into a decision support system for oncologists, facilitating more precise treatment decisions for patients with cancer.”
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, this type of research can make a significant treatment in your experience. For more information and support, contact the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net today at 1-800-692-8608.
