Immune therapies for malignant mesothelioma

Our plain-English summary of Immune therapies for malignant mesothelioma, by S.A. Antoniu, G. Dimofte, D. Ungureanu (Expert Review of Anticancer Therapy, 2014).

The study

• Authors: S.A. Antoniu, G. Dimofte, D. Ungureanu
• Journal: Expert Review of Anticancer Therapy
• Published: 2014;14(8):965-73
• Type of article: Review
• Cited by: 3 articles, as counted by NIH iCite
• Read it: PubMed · Publisher

Abstract

Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a rare disease which can develop in pleura, pericardium or peritoneum and in which the therapies available have limited efficacy and are associated with various side effects. Therefore, there is a need for more targeted and more effective therapies which are able to halt the disease progression. Among them immune therapies actively or passively directed against various structures of the MM cells seem to be particularly promising given their inhibitory potential demonstrated in both experimental and early clinical studies. Mesothelin in particular seem to be not only a biomarker of disease activity but also a therapeutic target. This review discusses the immune therapies currently investigated for MM.

In plain English

This article was a narrative review of immune therapies being investigated for malignant mesothelioma, a cancer that can develop in the pleura, pericardium or peritoneum. It described published laboratory, animal and early clinical studies rather than reporting new research. In background, the authors noted that mesothelioma is most commonly linked to asbestos or erionite occupational exposures in men. The review covered antibodies, especially those aimed at mesothelin, a protein found on mesothelioma cells. It also covered fusion proteins such as the immunotoxin SS1P, and several kinds of vaccines. Among the studies it described, a Phase II trial of the antibody amatuximab given with pemetrexed and cisplatin reported a partial response rate of 39% among 77 patients with interpretable results. A Phase II trial of tremelimumab in 29 patients reported disease control in nine (31%). Bevacizumab added to chemotherapy failed to meet its primary endpoint in Phase II studies. The authors noted that mesothelin is highly expressed only by the epithelioid subtype. The authors concluded that, although efficacy is not yet conclusive in all cases, immune therapies show promise in mesothelioma, particularly in advanced stages.

We wrote this plain-English summary from the full article with the help of AI, and a second AI model checked each sentence against the article. It is not the authors' wording; the abstract and the article are their own account.

What the study did and found

• Design: Narrative review of immune therapies (antibodies, fusion proteins/immunotoxins, vaccines) under investigation for malignant mesothelioma
• Who was studied: No new study population; the authors reviewed published experimental (cell and animal) and early-phase clinical studies of immune therapies for malignant mesothelioma
• Exposure: Not an exposure study; the review concerns treatments. In background only, the authors state mesothelioma is most commonly linked to asbestos or erionite occupational exposures in men
• Main results:
  • A cited Phase II study of amatuximab with pemetrexed and cisplatin (89 patients with MM) reported a partial response rate of 39% among 77 patients with interpretable results
  • A cited Phase II study of tremelimumab in 29 patients with advanced MM reported no complete responses but disease control in nine (31%) patients
  • In cited Phase II studies, bevacizumab added to gemcitabine/cisplatin or pemetrexed/cisplatin failed to meet its primary endpoint of progression-free survival
  • A cited study reported that adding pentostatin and cyclophosphamide to SS1P in patients with chemotherapy-resistant mesothelioma resulted in significant tumor regression in 3 out of 10 patients
  • The authors noted that mesothelin, the target of many of these therapies, is highly expressed only by the epithelioid MM subtype
• The authors' conclusion: The authors concluded that, even if efficacy is not yet conclusive in all cases, immune therapies show promise in MM, particularly in advanced stages

Topics

The National Library of Medicine indexes this study under subjects our site covers: Lung cancer, Mesothelioma.

Medical terms in this study, explained in our Lexicon: Malignant Mesothelioma, Pleura, Pericardium, Peritoneum, Disease Progression, Mesothelin, Biomarker.

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