Exciting News: Special FDA Designation for Mesothelioma Vaccine
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Exciting News: Special FDA Designation for Mesothelioma Vaccine

ByHolly Zink

A company called Ultimovacs has achieved something big in the world of cancer treatment. They received a special title from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for their vaccine called UV1. This vaccine is meant to help people with mesothelioma, which is a rare and tough-to-treat cancer. Understanding UV1 and Its Goal UV1 is not like regular vaccines that protect you from diseases. Instead, it’s a vaccine that tries to make your immune system fight cancer. It targets an enzyme in cancer cells called telomerase (hTERT), which is important in mesothelioma. This cancer is known for growing in the lining around your lungs due to asbestos exposure. The UV1 vaccine is made of three special hTERT parts, chosen based…

FDA Approval of Keytruda will Help Some Mesothelioma Patients
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FDA Approval of Keytruda will Help Some Mesothelioma Patients

ByAlex Strauss

The FDA approval of Keytruda this month may help some patients in their battle against asbestos cancer.  Keytruda is the brand name for the immunotherapy drug pembrolizumab. The FDA first approved Keytruda as a first-line treatment for metastatic non-small cell lung cancer. That initial approval came in 2017. The new FDA approval of Keytruda is for treatment of specific kinds of malignant tumors. Eligible patients must have unresectable mesothelioma and no other treatment options.  How Keytruda Fights Mesothelioma Keytruda is an immune checkpoint inhibitor. It blocks a protein called PD-L1. Mesothelioma cells use PD-L1 to avoid immune system attack. Drugs like Keytruda unmask these hiding cells and make them more vulnerable to treatment.  But not all patients with mesothelioma will…

Possible New Drug for Mesothelioma Gets First FDA Approval
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Possible New Drug for Mesothelioma Gets First FDA Approval

ByAlex Strauss

A possible new drug for mesothelioma has received FDA approval for the treatment of advanced epithelioid sarcoma.  Tazemetostat (Tazverik) is an oral medication made by a company called Epizyme. It is a brand new kind of drug that blocks a protein called EZH2. Tazemetostat is in testing for several different types of cancer, including malignant mesothelioma.  The recent FDA approval is an encouraging sign that it could one day be a new drug for mesothelioma.  In Search of a New Drug for Mesothelioma  Malignant mesothelioma is one of the most serious consequences of exposure to asbestos. Once asbestos fibers get into the lungs and other tissues, they never leave. Their presence sets up a cascade of cellular reactions that can…

Tumor Treating Fields Win FDA Approval for Mesothelioma Treatment
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Tumor Treating Fields Win FDA Approval for Mesothelioma Treatment

ByAlex Strauss

The FDA has approved an electricity-based mesothelioma treatment known as Tumor Treating Fields (NovoTTF-100L). The treatment is approved for use along with standard mesothelioma chemotherapy. It is the first new treatment for pleural mesothelioma since the approval of Alimta (pemetrexed) in 2004. Approval of NovoTTF-100L was based on the promising results of the STELLAR phase 2 mesothelioma clinical trial. Those results, released in April, were even better than expected. Electricity is the Basis of Tumor Treating Fields The Tumor Treating Fields approach was created by Jersey-based Novocure. It first found success in the treatment of the deadly brain cancer glioblastoma. The technology uses electrical fields to destabilize critical proteins responsible for cell division. When these proteins cannot do their job,…