New Hope for Mesothelioma: Understanding Immunotherapy
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New Hope for Mesothelioma: Understanding Immunotherapy

ByHolly Zink

Facing health challenges can be tough, especially when dealing with pleural mesothelioma. A new study shows progress in mesothelioma treatment. The breakthrough comes with a treatment called immunotherapy. Pleural mesothelioma is a rare and tough disease. In the past, doctors used drugs to treat it, but the average survival time is only about 12 months. Now, there’s a new way of treating it that gives us a renewed sense of hope. The Power of Immunotherapy Our bodies have a natural defense system called the immune system. It helps fight off bad cells, like cancer. But sometimes, certain cancers, such as pleural mesothelioma, can trick the immune system. This is where immunotherapy comes in. Scientists have developed special medicines called immune…

Unveiling New Frontiers in Cancer Treatment: Exploring Immunotherapy
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Unveiling New Frontiers in Cancer Treatment: Exploring Immunotherapy

ByHolly Zink

Doctors have found new ways to fight cancer that use our body’s natural defenses. These new treatments are exploring immunotherapy. They help our immune system, which is like our body’s defense team, to fight cancers like mesothelioma. Understanding Special Proteins In our bodies, there are proteins called checkpoints. They help our immune system know when to attack harmful cells like cancer and when to leave healthy cells alone. But sometimes, cancer tricks these checkpoints and hides from our immune system. Scientists made special medicines called immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). These medicines help our immune system work better against cancers like mesothelioma. They stop the tricks that cancer uses to hide from our body’s defenses. Finding New Helpers Even though these…

New Hope for Treating Pleural Mesothelioma: Breakthrough Therapies on the Horizon
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New Hope for Treating Pleural Mesothelioma: Breakthrough Therapies on the Horizon

ByHolly Zink

Pleural mesothelioma is a rare and tough cancer with a history of limited treatment options and a difficult prognosis. But recent years have brought good news for patients, as new treatments give hope to those facing this challenging condition. A Positive Shift in Treatment Since 2021, a big change has happened in how we treat pleural mesothelioma. Doctors now use immune checkpoint inhibitors as the first choice for treatment. These include nivolumab and ipilimumab. This is a big step forward for patients who once had few options for this tough cancer. Combining chemotherapy and immune checkpoint inhibitors is a good next step. But researchers are also exploring other ways to treat pleural mesothelioma. They are learning more about how this…

The Power of Immunotherapy: T Cells and Mesothelioma Treatment
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The Power of Immunotherapy: T Cells and Mesothelioma Treatment

ByHolly Zink

Mesothelioma patients with more immune cells called CD8+ T cells might respond better to immunotherapy. This is the finding of a team of scientists from Japan. Their study was published in the scientific journal Thoracic Cancer. Typical Treatment Plan Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that is both rare and aggressive. It grows in the cells lining the surface of organs like the lungs. Mesothelioma is caused by exposure to a toxic mineral called asbestos. Because it is rare and grows quickly, mesothelioma can be hard for doctors to diagnose and treat. A patient usually needs to have many tests before a doctor can diagnose them with mesothelioma. This can include imaging scans, blood tests, and biopsies. Once mesothelioma has…

Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors to Treat Mesothelioma
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Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors to Treat Mesothelioma

ByHolly Zink

A new study supports the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors to treat malignant pleural mesothelioma. The study authors caution that immune checkpoint inhibitors should be used carefully because they can be an expensive treatment. Immunotherapy for Mesothelioma Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer that is caused by exposure to asbestos. It develops from cells of the mesothelium, the lining that covers many of the internal organs of the body. There are approximately 2,000 cases of mesothelioma diagnosed in the United States every year. Since mesothelioma is so rare, standard treatment options are limited. Standard therapies include chemotherapy, radiation, and surgery. If more than one of these therapies is used, it may be called multimodal therapy. Immunotherapy has emerged in…

A Bright Future for Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Mesothelioma Treatment
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A Bright Future for Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors in Mesothelioma Treatment

ByHolly Zink

A new report shows that immune checkpoint inhibitors can be a practical and rational therapeutic approach to treating mesothelioma patients. The use of ICIs to treat human tumors has quickly become part of clinical practice. Immune checkpoint inhibitors block mesothelioma’s natural resistance to immune system attack. They are among the most promising approaches to combating this intractable cancer. Researchers from the Cellular and Molecular Research Center report the use of ICIs in tumor immunotherapy. What is Tumor Immunotherapy? Malignant mesothelioma is a frustrating disease for patients and doctors. Conventional cancer treatments often do not work. If cancer recurs, doctors can try other approved treatments, even if they are not part of the official treatment guidelines. Immunotherapy is also referred to…

Celiac Disease May Be a Little-Known Complication of Mesothelioma Immunotherapy
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Celiac Disease May Be a Little-Known Complication of Mesothelioma Immunotherapy

ByAlex Strauss

A new French case report shines a spotlight on a little-known potential complication of mesothelioma immunotherapy: celiac disease.  Celiac disease is a chronic digestive and immune disorder brought on by sensitivity to gluten. Over time, celiac disease damages the small intestine causing long-lasting digestive problems. It can prevent patients from getting the nutrients they need to stay healthy.  The new case report appears in Frontiers in Immunology. It details the case of a 70-year-old man who developed celiac disease after treatment with nivolumab. The case suggests that celiac disease may be an underrecognized side effect of mesothelioma immunotherapy. It is a reminder for mesothelioma patients and doctors to pay close attention to digestive problems after treatment.  Stimulating the Immune System…

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…

New “Real World” Study of Immunotherapy for Peritoneal Mesothelioma
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New “Real World” Study of Immunotherapy for Peritoneal Mesothelioma

ByAlex Strauss

A new study from one of the nation’s top cancer centers supports the role of immunotherapy in peritoneal mesothelioma treatment. Immunotherapy is a treatment approach that aims to harness the body’s natural defense system to fight cancer.  Several immunotherapy drugs have been tested for pleural mesothelioma. Pleural mesothelioma affects the lungs. Last year, the FDA approved a new combination of immunotherapy drugs for the pleural form of asbestos cancer.  But there is less data on immunotherapy for peritoneal mesothelioma. Researchers at MD Anderson Cancer Center just released their findings on a class of immunotherapy drugs called immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs). They say it is the first “real-world evidence” of clinical outcomes with ICIs in peritoneal mesothelioma patients. Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors…

Photodynamic Therapy and Immunotherapy: A Powerful Mesothelioma Combo?
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Photodynamic Therapy and Immunotherapy: A Powerful Mesothelioma Combo?

ByAlex Strauss

Swiss doctors have used a combination of photodynamic therapy and immunotherapy to dramatically shrink mesothelioma tumors in mice.  More than a third of mice treated with an immune checkpoint inhibitor and low-dose light therapy experienced complete regression of their cancer.  The new study explores how photodynamic therapy and immunotherapy can work together. The answers could have important implications for tens of thousands of people suffering from asbestos cancer.  Two Different Approaches to Mesothelioma Mesothelioma is a rare but deadly cancer caused by asbestos exposure. Pleural mesothelioma occurs on the membrane around the lungs. It is the most common type of mesothelioma. Around 2,500 Americans receive a mesothelioma diagnosis each year. There is no cure. Photodynamic therapy and immunotherapy both show…