Upcoming Meeting to Feature News on Latest Mesothelioma Study

Later this month, the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO) will be holding its annual meeting in Barcelona, Spain, and one of the most anticipated studies that will be presented is a malignant mesothelioma trial that  pharmaceutical and biotech industry news site Vantage.com is saying “threatens to steal the limelight” from the rest of  presentations scheduled for the program.

Study compares the use of Keytruda and chemotherapy in mesothelioma

The mesothelioma study that was highlighted as generating so much interest is the co-operative group-run Promise-Meso trial of Keytruda which was first posted back in 2016. The study compares the use of Keytruda and standard chemotherapy in advanced pleural mesothelioma, with the total of identifying new and better ways to stop the disease in its tracks. The authors expressed interest in determining whether the immune checkpoint inhibition that Keytruda offers will block the continued development of the disease.

Though little is known about what the presentation results will be, examination of the original study details reveals that Keytruda would be delivered at a fixed dose of 200 mg on day one of every three week cycle for a maximum of two years. The results of this therapy would be compared to a standard chemotherapy dose of Gemcitabine or Vinorelbine administered on days 1 and 8 of every three-week cycle, with no maximum number of treatments set.

Outcome measures set at progression free survival

The study’s primary outcome measure was established as determining the length of progression-free survival offered by Keytruda as compared to chemotherapy, with the secondary measures being the difference in objective response, overall survival, time to treatment failure and adverse effects between the two treatments.

To be included in this clinical trial, patients needed to have a confirmed diagnosis of malignant pleural mesothelioma (with no specification as to subtype) that progressed after or on platinum-based chemotherapy. Patients could not have undergone previous immunotherapy treatment or treatment with gemcitabine or vinorelbine.

The Patient Advocates at Mesothelioma.net will be closely watching reports from the ESMO conference next week. For information about other treatment protocols available, contact us today at 1-800-692-8608.

Written by Terri Oppenheimer

Terri Heimann Oppenheimer is the head writer of our Mesothelioma.net news blog. She graduated from the College of William and Mary with a degree in English. Terri believes that knowledge is power and she is committed to sharing news about the impact of mesothelioma, the latest research and medical breakthroughs, and victims’ stories.

Learn more about and contact Terri