New Ways to Fight Mesothelioma: Stronger Treatment with Immunotherapy Mix

ByHolly Zink
New Ways to Fight Mesothelioma: Stronger Treatment with Immunotherapy Mix

In the battle against mesothelioma, scientists are trying out new methods that use the body’s own defenses. A recent study in Cancer Science explored a treatment called combination immunotherapy. It uses special medicines that help the immune system and has worked well for other cancers.

Using Immunotherapy to Fight Mesothelioma

Researchers are studying a protein called podoplanin (PDPN) in malignant pleural mesothelioma. This protein could help diagnose the cancer and be a target for treatment. Scientists made a special antibody to attack PDPN, aiming to kill cancer cells. But they weren’t sure how these antibodies worked with other immune cells or with the medicines used in immunotherapy.

In a new study, scientists made new and improved antibodies to better attack PDPN. They tested these antibodies on mesothelioma cells called AB1-HA cells.

The results were exciting. When they used one antibody alone, it didn’t stop tumors in mice with AB1-HA cells. But when they combined it with a drug that helps the immune system, the treatment started working much better against the tumors.

This combined treatment made the antibodies work better and brought more powerful immune cells, called natural killer cells, to the tumors. These natural killer cells find and destroy cancer cells. The researchers found that these cells were important for the combined treatment to work. When they removed these cells, the treatment didn’t work well anymore.

Finding New Ways to Treat Mesothelioma

This study shows how antibodies can work better with other treatments and change the immune system to fight mesothelioma. By combining these antibodies with other medicines, scientists might find new ways to treat advanced malignant pleural mesothelioma.

This treatment method might work for other cancers too. This could bring hope for better treatments, not just for mesothelioma but for many other challenging cancers.

In short, this study is a big step in using the immune system to fight malignant pleural mesothelioma. It shows how mixing different treatments might make a big difference in treating tough cancers and improving the lives of people facing these challenges.

Source:

Yoneda, Hiroto, Atsushi Mitsuhashi, Aito Yoshida, Hirokazu Ogino, Satoshi Itakura, Na Thi Nguyen, Hiroshi Nokihara, et al. “Antipodoplanin Antibody Enhances the Antitumor Effects of CTLA-4 Blockade against Malignant Mesothelioma by Natural Killer Cells.” Cancer Science n/a, no. n/a. Accessed January 4, 2024. https://doi.org/10.1111/cas.16046.

Similar Posts

  • | |

    Mesothelioma Study Finds New Treatment Target

    ByAlex Strauss

    Immunotherapy, which involves reprogramming T-cells to find and attack cancer cells, is one of the fastest-growing areas of cancer research. One of the biggest challenges of immunotherapy is how to harness the power of T-cells against cancer without also turning them against healthy cells. A new study conducted in Switzerland and published in the Journal of Translational Medicine addressed the problem by reprogramming T-cells to recognize and attack mesothelioma cells that express a specific protein. Fibroblast Activation Protein (FAP) is expressed on the surface of tumor-associated fibroblast cells which are found in the connective tissue of mesothelioma tumors. FAP is also found in mesothelioma cells and may play a role in the start of cancer, as well as the growth…

  • | |

    Mesothelioma Study Could Improve Immunotherapy

    ByAlex Strauss

    Scientists have made an important discovery about a component of the immune system that could have an impact on mesothelioma, one of the rarest and most aggressive cancers. Although mesothelioma is rare, it claims about 2,500 lives in the U.S. annually. Scientists around the globe are searching for a method to keep this cancer from spreading across the membranes that surround the lungs or line the abdomen. As mesothelioma tumors on these membranes grow larger, the likelihood that the cancer will spread to the lungs or other internal organs increases. The immune system is designed to help stop the spread of invaders or out-of-control cancer cells. One immune cell, the Natural Killer or NK cell, is known to exert an anti-tumor effect…

  • | |

    Mesothelioma Vaccine Enters Phase 2 Testing

    ByAlex Strauss

    The makers of a new cancer vaccine say they have enrolled the first mesothelioma patients in a study that will combine their drug with chemotherapy against this virulent cancer. The drug, currently known as CRS-207, is manufactured by Aduro Bio Tech, Inc. According to a company press release, CRS-207 is based on an attenuated (made less potent) version of Listeria monocytogenes, bacteria found in soil and water than can cause the food borne illness, Listeriosis. To make CRS-207, scientists at Aduro genetically modified the Listeria monocytogenes in order to produce a powerful immune response against cells that produce mesothelin. Mesothelin is a tumor-associated antigen produced by several types of cancer cells, including mesothelioma cells. Because it works in conjunction with the body’s…

  • |

    Immunotherapy for Mesothelioma Shows Promise

    ByAlex Strauss

    Despite the continuing efforts of researchers around the world, there is currently no standardized cure for mesothelioma. The asbestos-linked cancer is fast-growing and often resistant to conventional therapies. But a growing number of studies have pointed to the value of unconventional treatments like immunotherapy for mesothelioma. Immunotherapy refers to any treatment protocol which aims to harness the body’s own immune system to fight cancer cells.  In a recent article in The Lancet Oncology, two National Cancer Institute researchers summarized some of the most promising immunotherapy approaches now being investigated for mesothelioma: In dendritic cell-based immunotherapy, dendritic cells are harvested from the patient. Outside the body, these cells are stimulated to activate a cytotoxic response against cancer cells.  When they are…

  • | |

    Immunotherapy May Improve Chemotherapy for Mesothelioma

    ByAlex Strauss

    A treatment designed to inhibit a cell protein called CTLA-4 may improve the effectiveness of chemotherapy for mesothelioma. Chemotherapy is considered a front-line treatment for mesothelioma, although it is only moderately effective.  Because mesothelioma is a highly aggressive cancer of the mesothelium, chemotherapy is often used as part of a multimodality therapeutic approach. Increasingly, immunotherapy, which involves manipulation of the genes and immune system, is also part of the treatment approach. CTLA-4 is the name for both a protein and the gene that is responsible for producing it.  A recent published study tested the theory that knocking down cellular production of the CTLA-4 protein could slow tumor growth and stimulate the immune system between rounds of chemotherapy. To test the…

  • | |

    Mesothelioma Vaccine Jump Starts Immunity

    ByAlex Strauss

    Scientists studying a vaccine for mesothelioma have published some of their most important preliminary data in the respected medical journal Lung Cancer. Mesothelioma, a cancer of the organ linings caused by asbestos exposure, is highly resistant to conventional treatments.  Not only does it grow quickly, but its shape makes detection and removal difficult. Unlike some other types of solid tumors which may grow in a mass, mesothelioma tumors tend to spread out in a sheet-like formation across membranes. The UK scientists have been experimenting with a new method for targeting and destroying mesothelioma tumors, regardless of their shape. 5T4 is an antigen overexpressed by several kinds of cancer cells. The researchers tested for 5T4 in mesothelioma cells taken from 11 lab-grown cell…