Though a cure is the long-term goal, even adding months to patients’ overall survival is considered a victory when it comes to treating malignant mesothelioma. That’s why it’s such big news that Merck & Co.’s immunotherapy drug Keytruda delivered significant improvement in patient overall survival when combined with chemotherapy.
Merck’s Keytruda Extends Mesothelioma Overall and Progression-Free Survival
Together with the Canadian Cancer Trials Group (CCTG), Merck announced that its anti-PD-1 immunotherapy treatment delivered significant improvement in overall survival when administered as a first-line treatment to patients with unresectable advanced pleural mesothelioma. The study found that the combination reduced the risk of death by 21%, with a median overall survival of 17.3 months compared to 16.1 months for patients receiving chemotherapy alone.
The results, which were presented during a session of the 2023 American Society of Clinical Oncology’s annual meeting, are promising for patients with pleural mesothelioma, who at the time of diagnosis are presented with a 12% chance of five-year survival. Because most patients are diagnosed when their disease is at an advanced stage, curative surgery is generally not available. This leaves patients turning to chemotherapy, and recently to the newest innovation in cancer treatment — immunotherapy.
Experts Encouraged by Mesothelioma Results
Speaking of how this new treatment protocol offers hope for the challenges presented by malignant mesothelioma, Dr. Lesley Seymour, Director of the Investigational New Drug program at CCTG said, “This regimen represents a potential new treatment option for patients with advanced pleural mesothelioma.”
Echoing his words, Dr. Gregory Lubiniecki, Vice President, Global Clinical Development of Merck Research Laboratories spoke of Keytruda’s promise for patients with malignant mesothelioma and other cancers, saying, “These data demonstrate our commitment to improving outcomes for patients with different types of thoracic cancer through our expansive clinical development program and research evaluating Keytruda in new, difficult-to-treat tumors.”
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma, advances in treatment offer real hope. For information on treatment resources available to you, contact the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net today at 1-800-692-8608.
