A small clinical trial conducted by researchers from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) is offering hope to patients diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma and other metastatic solid tumors. The study showed that a new cellular immunotherapy approach may produce lymphocytes with receptors that recognize and attack specific types of cancer cells.
Malignant Mesothelioma’s Solid Tumors Present Challenges for Treatment
Malignant pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma are both rare forms of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos. The disease is characterized by the formation of multiple solid tumors in the lining of the pleural and peritoneal cavity.
Solid tumors like those of malignant mesothelioma were the focus of the study whose results were published in the July 11, 2024 edition of the journal Nature Medicine. Researchers genetically engineered normal white blood cells known as lymphocytes to recognize and attack their specific cancer cells. In this study, the cancer tested was metastatic colorectal cancer, but successful results may lead to studies of other types of solid tumors.
Can New Immunotherapy Approach Halt Mesothelioma Tumor Growth?
Metastatic solid tumors like mesothelioma are extremely aggressive, and stopping their growth goes a long way toward extending patients’ lives. The NIH study demonstrated that the new personalized immunotherapy approach shrank tumors in some patients and successfully kept the tumors from regrowing for up to seven months in others. The study’s co-leaders, Steven A. Rosenberg, M.D., Ph.D and Maria Parkhurst, Ph.D. of NCI’s Center for Cancer Research say that the new approach overcomes two previously identified challenges in cellular immunotherapy: How to produce large numbers of T cells that can recognize cancer cells specifically, and how to boost the ability of modified T cells to multiply once they’ve been returned to the patient.
Dr. Rosenberg said, “The fact that we can take a growing metastatic solid cancer and get it to regress shows that the new cellular immunotherapy approach has promise. However, it’s important to understand that these findings are preliminary and that the approach needs to be further refined and tested in more types of solid cancers.”
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with mesothelioma, the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net can help you access state-of-the-art treatment and support. Contact us today at 1-800-692-8608 to learn more.
