Therapeutic Advances in Medical Oncology

Our medical research library holds 8 studies published in Therapeutic Advances in Medical Oncology (2020–2026). Each entry links to the study's record on PubMed and, where there is one, to the publisher's page and a free full text. 8 have an abstract, the authors' own summary as PubMed records it: open "Abstract" to read it.

About the journal

• Publisher: Sage
• Published: 2009 to the present, England
• Language: English
• ISSN: 1758-8340 (print), 1758-8359 (electronic)
• Its record in the NLM Catalog

2020s

• Immunotherapy advances in pleural mesothelioma. A.L. Zhang, M.L. Hsu. 2026;18:17588359261420028. Review PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

  Abstract

  Mesothelioma is a rare cancer that carries a poor prognosis. This malignancy has had few therapeutic advances prior to the introduction of immune checkpoint inhibitors. Immunotherapy is now a cornerstone of first-line treatment for pleural mesothelioma and has been shown to provide clinical benefit for relapsed or refractory patients treated with prior chemotherapy. This review article will discuss key immunotherapy trials in the scientific literature, along with challenges in the application of this therapy. We will also discuss future areas of immunotherapy research in the treatment of mesothelioma.

  © The Author(s), 2026.

• Early severe immune-related pneumonitis, hepatitis, and agranulocytosis with radiographic response in sarcomatoid malignant pleural mesothelioma treated with nivolumab and ipilimumab: a case report highlighting dual liver biopsies and rechallenge decision-making. T. Oba, K. Itogawa, Y. Machida, et al. 2025;17:17588359251397331. Case report PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

  Abstract

  Sarcomatoid malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare and aggressive cancer with limited therapeutic options. We describe an exceptionally rare case of sarcomatoid MPM in a man in his 50s who developed three severe immune-related adverse events (irAEs)-Grade 3 pneumonitis, Grade 3 hepatitis, and Grade 4 agranulocytosis-within 55 days of initiating nivolumab plus ipilimumab. Corticosteroid treatment and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor resulted in recovery from these toxicities, while two liver biopsies provided essential diagnostic insights, distinguishing drug-induced liver injury from immune-related hepatitis. Despite receiving only a limited number of immune checkpoint inhibitor doses and discontinuing therapy, the patient exhibited rapid pleural tumor regression and sustained clinical benefit. This case highlights the potential association between severe immune-related side effects and favorable treatment response in MPM, and underscores the importance of pathology-supported diagnosis and shared decision-making in managing complex irAEs.

  © The Author(s), 2025.

• Epidemiology and clinical characteristics of mesothelioma in the Chinese population: a multicenter study. S. Yang, Y. Hao, K. Wang, et al. 2025;17:17588359251378879. PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

  Abstract

  Background: Mesothelioma is a rare and highly aggressive tumor that causes severe damage. However, there is a lack of systematic reports on the incidence and clinical characteristics of mesothelioma in the Chinese population.

  Objectives: This study aims to characterize the epidemiological features of mesothelioma in the Chinese population and to evaluate the effectiveness of current treatment strategies, to inform clinical decision-making and improve patient care.

  Designs: The epidemiological characteristics of patients were collected by regional study centers according to the predefined inclusion and exclusion criteria. Asbestos exposure status was clearly identified for each patient, and treatment strategies were analyzed across mesothelioma cases with different primary tumor sites.

  Methods: Data on mesothelioma patients and their treatment information were collected from 11 hospitals across China between January 2006 and December 2024. Epidemiological data and baseline characteristics were summarized using descriptive methods. The Kaplan-Meier method was used to analyze progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS). Key response indicators included the objective response rate (ORR) and disease control rate (DCR).

  Results: A total of 927 patients from 11 provinces in China were included in the analysis. The major types of mesothelioma observed were pleural mesothelioma (n = 537), peritoneal mesothelioma (n = 240), pericardial mesothelioma (n = 5), and mesothelioma of the tunica vaginalis testis (n = 5). Among these patients, 163 had confirmed asbestos exposure. For pleural mesothelioma, 45.6% (n = 245) of patients were from Yunnan Province. For peritoneal mesothelioma, 62.5% (n = 150) of patients were from Zhejiang Province. The median PFS rates for pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma patients were 6.6 and 5.7 months, respectively. The median OS was 16.6 months for pleural mesothelioma and 12.1 months for peritoneal mesothelioma. The ORR for pleural mesothelioma was 15%, with a DCR of 85.9%, while the ORR for peritoneal mesothelioma was 14.4%, with a DCR of 84.7%.

  Conclusion: The incidence of mesothelioma in China exhibits distinct regional characteristics. Pleural mesothelioma is predominantly associated with crocidolite asbestos exposure in Yunnan Province, while peritoneal mesothelioma is linked to hand-spun chrysotile asbestos exposure in Zhejiang Province, with notable sex differences observed. No significant differences in treatment outcomes were identified between pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma patients undergoing first-line therapy. These findings highlight the importance of region-specific strategies for the diagnosis and treatment of mesothelioma in China.

  © The Author(s), 2025.

• Cost-effectiveness analysis of nivolumab plus ipilimumab versus chemotherapy as the first-line treatment for unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma. L. Yang, X. Cao, N. Li, et al. 2022;14:17588359221116604. PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

  Abstract

  Introduction: This study evaluated the cost-effectiveness of nivolumab plus ipilimumab (NI) versus pemetrexed plus cisplatin/carboplatin (C) as the first-line treatment for unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) from the perspective of US payers.

  Methods: A 10-year partitioned survival model was constructed using survival and safety data from the CheckMate 743 clinical trial. The output metrics of the model included the patient's lifetime quality-adjusted life years (QALYs), lifetime costs, and incremental cost-effectiveness ratio (ICER). Only direct medical costs were considered. One-way and probabilistic sensitivity analyses were conducted to assess the robustness of the results.

  Results: Among all randomized patients, group NI had an ICER of $475,677/QALY relative to group C. Among patients with epithelioid histology, group NI had an ICER of $760,955/QALY. Among patients with non-epithelioid histology, group NI had an ICER of $418,348/QALY. The ICERs of all three populations exceeded the willingness-to-pay threshold ($150,000). The results of one-way sensitivity analysis revealed that the cost of nivolumab had a great influence on the results. The results of probabilistic sensitivity analysis demonstrated that the possibility of NI being more economical in all randomized patients and in patients with non-epidemiology histology was 0. In patients with epithelioid histology, the probability that NI had an economic advantage was 0.6%.

  Conclusions: From the perspective of US payers, in patients with unresectable MPM, NI has no economic advantage over C.

  © The Author(s), 2022.

• Immunotherapy, the promise for present and future of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) treatment. V. Gounant, S. Brosseau, G. Zalcman. 2021;13:17588359211061956. Review PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

  Abstract

  Due to occupational asbestosis exposure, the incidence of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) has continuously increased over the last 30 years, with a plateau anticipated around the year 2030 in Western countries. Molecular MPM carcinogenesis involves alterations of NF2, RASSF1, LATS2WT1, p16, as well as BAP-1tumor-suppressor genes, which usually regulate apoptosis, cell invasion, motility, cell division, chromatin remodeling, as well as control of DNA repair. In few selected patients, debulking surgery consisting of pleurectomy-decortication is carried out, resulting in unsatisfactory long-term results. For about 15 years, first-line chemotherapy has been primarily based on a doublet of pemetrexed and cisplatin. Adding the monoclonal antibody bevacizumab (Avastin®), which targets vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), has been shown to improve overall survival (OS) by nearly 19 months. The emergence of immune check-point inhibitors (ICIs) in MPM treatment has recently been associated with substantial survival improvements in both second- and first-line settings. Similarly to non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, on-going trials are presently exploring the chemotherapy-ICI combination in MPM management, and depending on their results, this combination could represent a further major advance in this previously orphan disease. The current article reviews recent clinical trial results, as well as future clinical developments in this moving field.

  © The Author(s), 2021.

• A systematic review and meta-analysis of neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinase gene fusion frequencies in solid tumors. A. Forsythe, W. Zhang, U. Phillip Strauss, et al. 2020;12:1758835920975613. PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

  Abstract

  Introduction: The research objective was to systematically review evidence on neurotrophic tyrosine receptor kinase (NTRK) gene fusion frequency in solid tumors.

  Methods: Using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines, a systematic literature review (SLR) was conducted of studies published from January 1987 to 2 January 2020. Selected studies were appraised for use in meta-analysis, with frequency reported as a point estimate with confidence intervals, to estimate NTRK gene fusion tumor incidence and prevalence.

  Results: The SLR identified 222 studies from North America (n = 122), Europe (n = 33), Asia (n = 41), Brazil (n = 5), Australia (n = 2), and multi-continental (n = 19) reporting NTRK gene fusion frequencies across 101 histologies. Studies were prospective (n = 43) and retrospective (n = 179). Testing methods involved DNA (n = 93), RNA (n = 72), combined DNA/RNA (n = 48), protein [immunohistochemistry (IHC), n = 5], and unreported (n = 5). Sample sizes ranged from 1 to 66,871. Of the 222 studies, 107 were suitable for meta-analysis. Highest NTRK gene fusion frequencies were reported in rare cancers: infantile/congenital fibrosarcoma (90.56%, 95% CI 67.42-100.00), secretory breast cancer (92.87%, 95% CI 72.62-100.00), and congenital mesoblastic nephroma (21.52%, 95% CI 13.06-32.20). Lower frequencies were reported in non-small cell lung cancer (0.17%, 95% CI 0.09-0.25), colorectal adenocarcinoma (0.26%, 95% CI 0.15-0.36), cutaneous melanoma (0.31%, 95% CI 0.07-0.55), and non-secretory breast carcinoma (0.60%, 95% CI 0.00-1.50). Reported frequency was ~0% for some cancers: mesothelioma, renal cell carcinoma, prostate cancer, and bone sarcoma. Estimated global overall NTRK gene fusion tumour incidence and 5-year prevalence in 2018 was 0.52 and 1.52 per 100,000 persons, respectively.

  Conclusion: This research confirms the rarity and varying frequency of NTRK gene fusion across tumor types. Limitations included relatively low historic NTRK gene fusion testing and reporting, limited study samples for some cancers, and suboptimal molecular testing methods. In this rapidly developing area, gold-standard testing methods and companion diagnostics are needed to capture all NTRK gene fusions.

  © The Author(s), 2020.

• Biomarker-guided targeted and immunotherapies in malignant pleural mesothelioma. H. Yang, D. Xu, R.A. Schmid, et al. 2020;12:1758835920971421. Review PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

  Abstract

  Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a lethal thoracic malignancy whose incidence is still increasing worldwide. MPM is characterized by frequent inactivation of tumor-suppressor genes (TSGs), e.g., the homozygous deletion of CDKN2A/2B and various genetic alterations that inactivate BAP1, NF2, LATS1/2, and TP53. The leading cause for the poor prognosis of patients with MPM is the lack of effective treatment options, with conventional chemotherapy being the standard of care in the clinic, which has remained unchanged for almost 20 years. Precision oncology, a burgeoning effort to provide precise cancer treatment tailored to unique molecular changes in individual patients, has made tremendous progress in the last decade in several cancers, but not in MPM. Recent studies indicate a high degree of tumor heterogeneity in MPM and the importance to optimize histological and molecular classifications for improved treatment. In this review, we provide an up-to-date overview of recent advances in MPM by focusing on new stratifications of tumor subgroups, specific vulnerabilities associated with functional loss of TSGs and other biomarkers, and potential clinical implications. The molecularly based subdivisions not only deepen our understanding of MPM pathobiology, but more importantly, they may raise unprecedented new hopes for personalized treatment of MPM patients with biomarker-guided targeted and immunotherapies.

  © The Author(s), 2020.

• PD-L1 and prognosis in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma: a meta-analysis and bioinformatics study. L. Jin, W. Gu, X. Li, et al. 2020;12:1758835920962362. PubMed · Publisher · Free full text

  Abstract

  Background: The prognostic value of programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) expression in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) has been controversial according to previous investigations. Therefore, we conducted a meta-analysis to assess the potential prognostic significance of PD-L1 expression in MPM.

  Methods: PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus, and the Cochrane Library were thoroughly searched for relevant original articles published before 9 April 2020. The pooled hazard ratios (HRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) of overall survival (OS) and progression-free survival (PFS) were calculated. The results of the meta-analysis were verified using The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) dataset.

  Results: In total 16 studies were included in our meta-analysis. A high PD-L1 expression was associated with a poor OS (HR = 1.53, 95% CI = 1.28-1.83, p < 0.001), but not a grave PFS (HR = 1.07, 95% CI = 0.82-1.39, p = 0.643) in MPM. Furthermore, the PD-L1 expression correlated with the sarcomatoid + biphasic type of MPM (odds ratio = 4.32, 95% CI = 2.16-8.64, p < 0.001). TCGA data indicated that PD-L1 was a significant prognostic factor for OS (HR = 2.069, 95% CI = 1.136-3.769, p = 0.0175), but not for PFS (HR = 1.205, 95% CI = 0.572-2.539, p = 0.624), which was in accordance with the results of the meta-analysis.

  Conclusion: A high PD-L1 expression is a significant prognostic factor for poor OS of patients with MPM. We therefore suggest that PD-L1 expression levels can be used to predict the clinical outcomes of patients with MPM in the future.

  © The Author(s), 2020.

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