The anti-programmed cell death ligand 1 (PD-L1) monoclonal antibody avelumab is well tolerated and shows antitumor activity in some patients with previously treated unresectable mesothelioma, according to results from a single-arm trial.
“Immune-checkpoint inhibitors result in clinical benefit in a small subset of patients with mesothelioma, but the benefits can be durable in these patients,” Dr. Raffit Hassan from the National Cancer Institute, in Bethesda, MD, told Reuters Health by email.
Dr. Hassan and colleagues from the JAVELIN Solid Tumor trial assessed the efficacy and safety of avelumab (10 mg/kg every 2 weeks) in a phase 1b single-arm study of 53 patients with unresectable mesothelioma that progressed after platinum and pemetrexed treatment.
Of these 53 patients, one (2%) had a confirmed complete response, four (8%) had a confirmed partial response, and 26 patients (49%) had a best response of stable disease, which translates into an overall response rate of 9% and a disease-control rate of 58%, the researchers report JAMA Oncology, online January 3, 2019.
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