Malignant mesotheliomas (MMs) are malignancies of the mesothelium, with primary deposits originating in the pleura, peritoneum, pericardium and the tunica vaginalis (ie, testicular). Metastatic spread is commonly reported to affect the liver, adrenal glands, kidney and contralateral lung (in cases of malignant pleural mesothelioma). Metastases to … [Read more...]
Efficacy and safety of pembrolizumab in patients with advanced mesothelioma in the open-label, single-arm, phase 2 KEYNOTE-158 study
Background: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) has few treatment options. [ Keytruda (pembrolizumab) ] showed preliminary clinical benefit in programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1)-positive MPM. We evaluated the efficacy and safety of [ Keytruda (pembrolizumab) ] monotherapy in patients with previously treated MPM irrespective of PD-L1 status in the … [Read more...]
Asbestos Warnings Grow With Penn State Lawsuit, National Push
Peter Labosky Jr. had been retired for 12 years from his job as a professor of wood sciences at Penn State University when he was diagnosed in 2014 with mesothelioma. He died five months later. [This case is an example of a “new” or non-traditional asbestos litigation area.] Mr. Labosky’s family alleges in a lawsuit filed in 2016 that the … [Read more...]
J&J settles California baby powder-cancer case in the middle of jury trial
Johnson & Johnson resolved a woman’s claims that asbestos-laced baby powder caused her cancer [ by means of a settlement during trial ] before a California jury got a chance to consider the allegations in one of dozens of cases to go to trial. Jurors in state court in Oakland heard more than two weeks’ worth of testimony in Linda O’Hagan’s … [Read more...]
Radical hemithoracic radiotherapy doubles survival among certain patients with mesothelioma
Patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma who underwent nonradical surgery and chemotherapy appeared twice as likely to achieve 2-year OS with radical hemithoracic radiotherapy vs. palliative radiotherapy, according to randomized phase 3 study results presented at European Society for Radiotherapy and Oncology Congress. Based on these … [Read more...]
Disappointment Over Immunotherapy in Mesothelioma
Despite showing promise in phase 2 trials, new results from a randomized phase 3 [ immunotherapy in mesothelioma ] trial are disappointing in a tumor type that remains a major killer. In patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) who had progressed after first-line chemotherapy, immunotherapy with pembrolizumab (Keytruda, Merck) appears … [Read more...]
NIOSH considers mesothelioma registry; seeks input
The [ National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) ] is gauging the feasibility of a national [ mesothelioma registry ] intended to track cases of mesothelioma, a rare form of cancer linked to on-the-job exposure to asbestos. According to a Request for Information published in the April 8 Federal Register, the agency is asking … [Read more...]