Treatment Combination for Younger Pre-Treated Mesothelioma Patients

There are many systemic therapies recommended for mesothelioma patients. Different therapies may work best for different patient populations.

Different therapies may work better for older versus younger patients. Or, patients who have received treatment before.

An international team of clinicians published a new study on this topic. They found a treatment strategy that works best for younger pre-treated patients.

The Young (65 years or younger) and Pre-Treated Patient

Mesothelioma patients who have received treatment once before, are often called “pre-treated.” Clinicians often have more personalized data available for these patients. This affects the clinician’s treatment strategy.

A new study compared the data from nine different mesothelioma clinical trials. These clinical trials spanned standard and experimental treatment options.

The results are a bit complicated. They supported systemic therapy with a single-agent anti-PD1 inhibitor and Ramucirumab. This was a strong treatment combination. And this is most effective for younger pre-treated mesothelioma patients.

Let’s break this down.

The Magic Treatment Strategy Combination

First, they found a specific systemic therapy works best for younger pre-treated patients. Systemic therapy is any cancer treatment that targets the patient’s entire body.

Second, they recommended a single-agent anti-PD1 inhibitor in first-time immunotherapy patients. Immunotherapy uses a patient’s immune system to fight mesothelioma disease. This is a specific single agent that targets mesothelioma.

And finally, the team found that Ramucirumab is helpful for younger pre-treated patients. Ramucirumab is a type of antiangiogenic agent. These drugs keep new blood vessels from forming to prevent tumor growth.

Now, let’s put that all together again.

An international team of clinicians compared the results from nine different clinical trials.

They recommended a systemic therapy (whole body), a single-agent anti-PD1 inhibitor (using the immune system), and Ramucirumab (preventing tumor growth).

This combination was particularly helpful for younger pre-treated mesothelioma patients.

Source

Banna, Giuseppe Luigi, Alessio Signori, Alessandra Curioni-Fontecedro, Alessio Cortellini, Marta Ponzano, Emilio Francesco Giunta, Sara Elena Rebuzzi et al. “Systemic therapy for pre-treated malignant mesothelioma: A systematic review, meta-analysis and network meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials.” European Journal of Cancer 166 (2022): 287-299. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ejca.2022.02.030