Immunotherapy has offered patients diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma hope for extended survival, but some patients that initially derive benefits from its use develop resistance and end up sicker. In response to this dynamic, researchers in the United Kingdom have explored combining the innovative treatment with a new experimental drug that they hope will support immunotherapy’s effectiveness.
Mesothelioma Victims May Benefit from UK Research
Malignant mesothelioma is just one of many types of cancer for which immunotherapy has been effective. The FDA approved the use of Keytruda in June of 2020 and the combination of nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy) later that same year. Since then, countless patients with the rare, asbestos-related disease have benefited from these treatments, but the state-of-the-art approach, which uses the immune system to target and kill cancer cells, can lose its effectiveness over time.
In response to this problem, oncologists at the Institute of Cancer Research in the United Kingdom have explored combining immunotherapy drugs with a new medication called guadecitabine in hopes that it would work to overcome the risk of resistance.
Positive Results from Immunotherapy Combination Gives Hope to Mesothelioma Patients
Patients diagnosed with mesothelioma are informed that the rare form of cancer is fatal, but innovations have allowed many to live longer than was previously true. Patients are often treated with surgery, radiation therapy, and chemotherapy as well as immunotherapy, trying to find the right formula to prolong their lives as long as possible.
The United Kingdom study did not include mesothelioma patients but did enroll others diagnosed with cancers that have been treated with the same drugs as the asbestos-related cancer. After receiving the guadecitabine/pembrolizumab combination at the Royal Marsden and University College London hospital, more than one third of patients found their cancer halted.
Speaking of the results, the study’s chief investigator Professor Johann de Bono said, “In the long term we hope that if these effects are confirmed in other patient groups and future studies, guadecitabine and pembrolizumab could help to tackle some of the resistance to immunotherapy we see in too many types of cancer.”
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with malignant pleural mesothelioma, every day brings new hope for effective treatment. For information on the latest research and developments, contact the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net today at 1-800-692-8608.
