Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors for Recurrent Mesothelioma: Early Adoption Gave Them Traction
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Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors for Recurrent Mesothelioma: Early Adoption Gave Them Traction

ByAlex Strauss

A new report shows that doctors started using immune checkpoint inhibitors for recurrent mesothelioma at least two years before the practice was officially sanctioned. This early adoption gave ICIs traction to quickly become part of clinical practice.  Immune checkpoint inhibitors block mesothelioma’s built-in resistance to immune system attack. They are among the most promising approaches to combating this intractable cancer.  University of Pennsylvania researchers recently ran a retrospective study on immune checkpoint inhibitors for recurrent mesothelioma. The study looked at real-world mesothelioma patients at several different medical centers. The researchers found that, even though the National Comprehensive Cancer Network (NCCN) did not revise it’s guidelines to include immune checkpoint inhibitors as a second-line treatment until 2017, doctors were using them…

Access to Multi-Modality Mesothelioma Treatment Limited for Uninsured & Rural Residents
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Access to Multi-Modality Mesothelioma Treatment Limited for Uninsured & Rural Residents

ByAlex Strauss

A new study shows a person’s insurance status and where they live often impact their access to multi-modality mesothelioma treatment. This can have an impact on their survival.  Researchers at the University of Miami Sylvester Comprehensive Cancer Center conducted the new study. They shared their findings at the recent virtual world conference of the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer.  The study found that access to multi-modality mesothelioma treatment was more common in patients with private insurance or Medicare. It was also more common among those who lived closer to larger medical centers.  People who lived further out or who did not have insurance often did not receive the treatments that offer the best odds of mesothelioma survival….

Statin Drugs Support Immunotherapy for Mesothelioma, New Study Finds
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Statin Drugs Support Immunotherapy for Mesothelioma, New Study Finds

ByAlex Strauss

There’s more evidence that statin drugs may improve the effectiveness of mesothelioma immunotherapy.  The new study, led by Korean biochemists, is not the first to show that these anti-cholesterol medications may help mesothelioma patients. But this one goes a step further to explain why they help.  Researchers focused on the impact of statin drugs on PD-1 expression. PD-1 is a protein that protects mesothelioma cells against immune system attack.  The findings suggest that, by lowering PD-1 levels, anti-cholesterol drugs may play a greater role in the future of mesothelioma treatment.  PD-1 and Mesothelioma Immunotherapy PD-1 is an immune checkpoint protein that occurs on the surface of cells. Normally, it helps keep the immune system from attacking healthy tissues. But mesothelioma…

HITOC for Mesothelioma: Benefits May Outweigh the Risk
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HITOC for Mesothelioma: Benefits May Outweigh the Risk

ByAlex Strauss

The benefits of a localized chemotherapy regimen known as HITOC for mesothelioma outweigh the small risk of kidney failure for most patients.  That is the conclusion of a new study published in the journal Cancers. German researchers conducted a retrospective review of the medical literature on HITOC (also called HITHOC) in pleural mesothelioma patients.  They were most interested in patients who developed kidney problems after the procedure. This is a known risk with HITOC for mesothelioma. But the study suggests that most patients benefit from this type of chemotherapy in spite of the risk. Localized Treatment Versus Systemic Treatment Pleural mesothelioma tumors start on the membrane around the lungs and are hard to treat. Once this cancer takes hold, most…

PET/CT Scans May Be Less Accurate in Elderly Mesothelioma Patients
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PET/CT Scans May Be Less Accurate in Elderly Mesothelioma Patients

ByAlex Strauss

Researchers at Case Western Reserve are warning cancer doctors not to rely too heavily on PET/CT scans when diagnosing malignant mesothelioma – especially in older patients. PET/CT is an important tool for staging mesothelioma and can help with diagnosis. But a new case report highlights the problem of false-negative PET/CT scans.  In this case involving a 77-year-old man, PET/CT showed no mesothelioma. Even the man’s lung fluid tests were negative for mesothelioma. The case is a potent reminder that biopsy is still the gold standard for diagnosing asbestos cancer.  PET/CT Scans and Other Tools for Diagnosing Mesothelioma Pleural mesothelioma is a tricky cancer to diagnose. Most patients do not even have symptoms until the disease is in a later stage….

Cancer-Fighting Gel Could “Change the Treatment Paradigm” for Mesothelioma
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Cancer-Fighting Gel Could “Change the Treatment Paradigm” for Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

New National Cancer Institute research shows a cancer-fighting gel applied directly to the surface of a mesothelioma tumor could “change the treatment paradigm” for this troublesome cancer.  NCI researchers in Maryland developed the treatment and tested it in animals with mesothelioma tumors.  Their tests show mesothelioma tumors respond after just one application of the medication.  The authors of a new report on the treatment say surgeons could use it to enhance mesothelioma surgery. They could even use the cancer-fighting gel on its own as a stand-alone therapy.  The Challenge of Mesothelioma Tumor Shape Malignant mesothelioma is a surface malignancy. Surface malignancies are tumors that grow on the surface of other organs or tissues. In the case of mesothelioma, tumors occur…

Second-Line Treatment with Ramucirumab Improves Mesothelioma Survival
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Second-Line Treatment with Ramucirumab Improves Mesothelioma Survival

ByAlex Strauss

New evidence suggests that second-line treatment with ramucirumab after first-line chemotherapy may lead to longer survival in people with pleural mesothelioma.  Researchers in Italy recently published results of a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial of the drug. Ramucirumab inhibits a protein mesothelioma tumors need to form new blood vessels.  The study included 161 pleural mesothelioma patients from across Italy. Researchers gave half of them second-line treatment with ramucirumab and another drug called gemcitabine. The other half had second-line treatment with gemcitabine alone.  Results showed the ramucirumab group lived more than six months longer than those who got only gemcitabine.  Few Options for Recurrent Mesothelioma Pleural mesothelioma is an aggressive cancer with few good treatment options. Most patients start with chemotherapy with Alimta….

MRI Imaging May Be Superior to CT for Pleural Mesothelioma Diagnosis and Staging
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MRI Imaging May Be Superior to CT for Pleural Mesothelioma Diagnosis and Staging

ByAlex Strauss

When it comes to diagnosing and monitoring treatment response in people with pleural mesothelioma, MRI imaging may be better than CT.  That is the message from a new Italian study published in the online medical journal Cancers.  RIght now, CT (computed tomography) is the most popular form of imaging for pleural mesothelioma. Cancer doctors use CT images to help diagnose mesothelioma. They also use it to see how widespread the cancer is and to find out if treatment is making a difference.  But radiology researchers at Pisa University Hospital say MRI imaging has advantages over CT for people with the rare asbestos cancer.  Mesothelioma Diagnosis and Prognosis  Malignant pleural mesothelioma is the most serious of several health conditions linked to…

Yervoy and Opdivo for Mesothelioma: Three Year Results Still Look Good
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Yervoy and Opdivo for Mesothelioma: Three Year Results Still Look Good

ByAlex Strauss

Three years after the last patients enrolled in the clinical trial of Yervoy and Opdivo for mesothelioma, survival results still look promising for this immunotherapy treatment.  Researchers presented an update of the CheckMate 743 trial at the recent virtual conference of the European Society for Medical Oncology (ESMO). The team found that more than 23% of patients on Yervoy and Opdivo for mesothelioma were still alive at three years. Only 15% of the chemotherapy group were still living.  Immunotherapy for Malignant Mesothelioma Alimta (pemetrexed) was the first drug to receive FDA approval for mesothelioma chemotherapy. The FDA approved it in 2004.  Before Alimta, patients had even fewer options that they do today. Most mesothelioma patients now start treatment with a…

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Safe Both Before and After Mesothelioma Surgery
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Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Safe Both Before and After Mesothelioma Surgery

ByAlex Strauss

A report presented to an international gathering of lung cancer doctors shows an immune checkpoint inhibitor can make pre-surgery chemotherapy more effective for pleural mesothelioma patients.  The report was presented at the International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer 2021 World Conference on Lung Cancer. The week-long virtual conference ended yesterday.  Dr. Anne Tsao of the University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center presented her study results. They show that mesothelioma patients may benefit from an immune checkpoint inhibitor as part of neoadjuvant chemotherapy. The same drug may also be helpful as a maintenance therapy after surgery. How Does an Immune Checkpoint Inhibitor Work? Immune checkpoint inhibitors are a form of immunotherapy. Immunotherapy treatments work by manipulating the immune…