Abstract Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a treatment-resistant tumor originating in the mesothelial lining of the pleura or the abdominal cavity with very limited treatment options. More effective therapeutic approaches are urgently needed to improve the poor prognosis of MM patients. Chimeric Antigen Receptor (CAR) T cell therapy has emerged as a … [Read more...]
Effect of Asbestos Exposure on the Frequency of EGFR Mutations and ALK/ROS1 Rearrangements in Patients With Lung Adenocarcinoma: A Multicentric Study
Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the effect of asbestos exposure on cancer-driver mutations. Methods: Between January 2014 and September 2018, epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR), anaplastic lymphoma receptor tyrosine kinase (ALK), and c-ros oncogene 1 receptor tyrosine kinase gene (ROS1) alterations, demographic … [Read more...]
Survival of patients with asbestosis can be assessed by risk-predicting models
Objectives: Our aim was to investigate the pulmonary function test (PFT) results of patients with asbestosis and determine whether baseline PFTs and the risk-predicting models such as gender, age and physiologic (GAP) variables model and composite physiologic index (CPI) would be useful in predicting survival in these patients. Methods: … [Read more...]
Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Clinical Practice Guidelines (SEOM, 2021)
Diagnosis and Staging: Genomic studies are not recommended in routine clinical practice but may be appropriate in selected patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), especially those with young age and family history of cancer, who may carry germline mutations in cancer susceptibility genes. Chest computed tomography (CT) scan with … [Read more...]
Study seeks to identify biological markers that predict mesothelioma response to treatment
The National Cancer Institute (NCI) has granted a $2.5 million, five-year R37 MERIT Award to Dr. Bryan Burt, associate professor of surgery and chief of the Division of General Thoracic Surgery, for his research project titled, “Proteomic Determinants of Response to Checkpoint Blockade in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma.” “Malignant pleural … [Read more...]
First-line nivolumab plus ipilimumab in unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma (CheckMate 743): a multicentre, randomised, open-label, phase 3 trial
Background: Approved systemic treatments for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) have been limited to chemotherapy regimens that have moderate survival benefit with poor outcomes. Nivolumab plus ipilimumab has shown clinical benefit in other tumour types, including first-line non-small-cell lung cancer. We hypothesised that this regimen would … [Read more...]
New Options Spark Sequencing and Biomarker Trials in Mesothelioma
Now that a new standard of care has been established in frontline mesothelioma, clinical trials are needed to evaluate optimal sequencing with checkpoint inhibitors in the salvage setting and determine whether biomarkers of response to immunotherapy could further tailor treatment to individual patients, said Anne S. Tsao, MD, during a virtual … [Read more...]
Bristol’s Opdivo scores again in tough-to-treat mesothelioma, this time flying solo
Last year at the World Conference on Lung Cancer, Bristol Myers Squibb made waves in mesothelioma with data showing its Opdivo - Yervoy duo could slash the risk of death in previously untreated patients. This year, it grabbed the spotlight with another survival win in the tough-to-treat disease. Saturday, solo Opdivo became the first med to show … [Read more...]
Surgery for malignant pleural mesothelioma after radiotherapy (SMART): final results from a single-centre, phase 2 trial
Background: A novel approach for managing malignant pleural mesothelioma, surgery for mesothelioma after radiotherapy (SMART), consisting of a short accelerated course of high-dose, hemithoracic, intensity modulated radiotherapy (IMRT) followed by extrapleural pneumonectomy was developed. The aim of this study was to evaluate the clinical … [Read more...]
Chemo-Free Regimen Boosts OS in Mesothelioma
A chemotherapy-free combination significantly improved overall survival (OS) as initial therapy for unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), a large randomized trial showed. Patients treated with nivolumab (Opdivo) and ipilimumab (Yervoy) had a media OS of 18.1 months versus 14.1 months for patients randomized to chemotherapy. The … [Read more...]