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

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…

Photoimmunotherapy for Mesothelioma Reduces Tumor Volume in Mice
| | | | |

Photoimmunotherapy for Mesothelioma Reduces Tumor Volume in Mice

ByAlex Strauss

Japanese researchers testing photoimmunotherapy for mesothelioma say they used the technology to successfully reduce the size of tumors in mice. Scientists at the National Cancer Institute in the US developed near-infrared photoimmunotherapy (NIR-PIT). It is a new type of cancer immunotherapy that uses a chemical to make some cells more sensitive to light. When light is directed at these cells, they die. In their new study of photoimmunotherapy for mesothelioma, the Japanese team targeted podoplanin. Podoplanin is a glycoprotein. Many mesothelioma tumors overexpress podoplanin.  Targeting Mesothelioma Tumors with Light Malignant mesothelioma is a fast-growing membrane cancer caused by asbestos exposure. Standard cancer therapies do not work well for mesothelioma. Cancer researchers around the world are looking for alternative treatments.  Immunotherapy…