A case study published in the journal Frontiers in Oncology demonstrates that nivolumab and ipilimumab can provide a sustained positive response in patients with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma.
French Surgeons Treat Peritoneal Mesothelioma Patient with Immunotherapy
The Checkmate 743 trial demonstrated the effectiveness of first-line nivolumab and ipilimumab over chemotherapy in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma, but because of its rarity, very few studies have assessed its use in the peritoneal form of the asbestos-related disease. Presented with a 74-year-old woman with unresectable malignant peritoneal mesothelioma, a group of researchers from the Institute Curie in Paris, France, and the Saint Quentin Hospital in Saint Quentin, France offered her the chance to test its use in her treatment, and she accepted.
Though malignant peritoneal mesothelioma is generally treated using cytoreductive surgery with heated chemotherapy (CRS-HIPEC), the patient’s tumors had infiltrated her organs in a way that made them unresectable. Because her tumors expressed the same PD-L1 protein that immunotherapy has been successful in treating pleural mesothelioma patients, she received ten injections of nivolumab every three weeks and of ipilimumab every six weeks, following the same regimen outlined in the Checkmate 743 trial for pleural mesothelioma.
Immunotherapy Offers Peritoneal Mesothelioma Patient Sustained Positive Outcome
Following treatment, the mesothelioma patient reported that her abdominal pain disappeared, and her performance status improved without toxic impacts from the treatment. Her CT scan showed a reduction in tumor infiltration. One year later, her pain returned, and new nodules were seen in her peritoneum. At that point, the immunotherapy was discontinued, and she began a regiment of chemotherapy, which offered a sustained response. Twenty-four months after her initial diagnosis, she continued to do well on maintenance pemetrexed and bevacizumab therapy.
This researchers concluded that though their findings should be interpreted with caution, their patient’s case suggests a role for nivolumab and ipilumab in peritoneal mesothelioma patients with non-resectable disease exhibiting PD-L1 overexpression and loss of BAP1 expression.
If you or someone you love has been diagnosed with malignant peritoneal mesothelioma, the Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net can help you find state-of-the-art treatment and care. For more information, contact us today at 1-800-692-8608.
