Atezolizumab (Tecentriq)

Atezolizumab, sold as Tecentriq, is an immunotherapy drug that blocks PD-L1. It is approved for several cancers, including small cell and non-small cell lung cancer. In pleural mesothelioma it has been tested with bevacizumab and chemotherapy in the BEAT-meso trial, but it is not an approved mesothelioma treatment.

Origin

Atezolizumab was developed by Genentech, part of Roche, and first approved in the United States in 2016 for bladder cancer. The BEAT-meso trial, run by a European research group, compared bevacizumab plus carboplatin and pemetrexed with or without atezolizumab in untreated pleural mesothelioma, and its main results were first reported in 2024.

Significance in Asbestos Context

In BEAT-meso, adding atezolizumab lengthened the time before the cancer grew, but the overall survival gain for the whole group was modest, and the clearest benefit was reported in non-epithelioid (sarcomatoid and biphasic) tumors. Doctors weigh such results against the approved first treatments for pleural mesothelioma, nivolumab with ipilimumab and pembrolizumab with chemotherapy. In lung cancer, atezolizumab is used with chemotherapy for small cell lung cancer and in certain non-small cell lung cancers, so people with asbestos-related lung cancer may receive it. Its side effects are those of other checkpoint inhibitors: immune-related inflammation of the lungs, bowel, liver, thyroid or other organs, sometimes appearing late. Because the evidence in mesothelioma is still developing, it is reasonable to ask how a recommendation was reached and whether a clinical trial is available.

Example Sentence

Because his tumor was biphasic, his oncologist discussed the BEAT-meso results for atezolizumab and bevacizumab alongside the approved nivolumab and ipilimumab combination.

Related Terms

Immunotherapy, PD-L1, Bevacizumab, Nivolumab (Opdivo), Ipilimumab (Yervoy), Pembrolizumab (Keytruda), Biphasic Mesothelioma, Small Cell Lung Cancer

Notes

• Ask whether a proposed drug is approved for mesothelioma or is being used in a trial or off-label.
• Ask how your tumor subtype (epithelioid, sarcomatoid or biphasic) affects the choice of treatment.
• Report new symptoms such as cough, diarrhea or rash promptly; immune side effects are easier to treat early.