Since the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved pemetrexed plus cisplatin for first-line treatment of mesothelioma in 2004, there has been a dearth of additional treatment options for this disease. Despite substantial effort, no other phase 3 study achieved a positive outcome for another 12 years, until the MAPS trial showed that the … [Read more...]
Surgery After Radiotherapy May Improve Outcomes in Patients with Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
A particular surgery performed following the completion of radiotherapy treatment among a group of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma was associated with improved outcomes including overall survival, according to study results recently published in Lancet Oncology. “Different treatment strategies have been tried (for malignant pleural … [Read more...]
Comparative effectiveness of second-line immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy versus chemotherapy for malignant pleural mesothelioma
Objectives: Second-line immune checkpoint inhibition (ICI) was recently shown to have a survival advantage over placebo in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), but the survival comparison to chemotherapy in patients with MPM receiving routine clinical care is unknown. Our objective was to examine the effectiveness of second-line [ immune … [Read more...]
Neoadjuvant pemetrexed plus cisplatin followed by pleurectomy for malignant pleural mesothelioma.
PURPOSE: Despite becoming the preferred surgical technique for malignant pleural mesothelioma, pleurectomy/decortication has received few prospective clinical trials. Therefore, the Japan Mesothelioma Interest Group conducted a prospective multi-institutional study to evaluate the feasibility of neoadjuvant chemotherapy followed by … [Read more...]
Drug Combo Promising in Rare Mesothelioma
A combination of atezolizumab (Tecentriq) and bevacizumab appeared effective and safe in patients with advanced malignant peritoneal mesothelioma, according to results from a small single-arm trial. The combination achieved an objective response rate (ORR) of 40% in patients who had progressed on or were resistant to prior platinum-pemetrexed … [Read more...]
Osteopontin, GLUT1 and Ki-67 expression in malignant peritoneal mesothelioma: prognostic implications
Background: Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma is the most common primary peritoneal neoplasm. The only universally recognised pathological prognostic factor is histopathological subtype. Prognostic markers based on patient features and clinical stages have been disappointing. Aims: To assess the prognostic role of several clinicopathological … [Read more...]
The association between pleural fluid exposure and survival in pleural mesothelioma
Background: Most patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) present with malignant pleural effusion (MPE). There is in vitro evidence that MPE may not be a simple bystander of malignancy, but potentially has biological properties improving cancer cell survival and promoting cancer progression. If this is the case, MPE management may need … [Read more...]
Vinorelbine extends PFS in relapsed malignant pleural mesothelioma
Vinorelbine combined with active supportive care conferred superior [ progression-free survival (PFS) ] compared with active supportive care alone among patients with relapsed malignant pleural mesothelioma, according to phase 2 study results. “All patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma eventually relapse following standard chemotherapy … [Read more...]
Malignant pleural mesothelioma: Comparison of surgery-based trimodality therapy to medical therapy at two tertiary academic institutions
Objectives: Medical management based on palliative chemotherapy is currently the standard of care in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Median survival of 12–16 months has been reported with modern chemotherapy regimens with or without anti-angiogenic agents. Multimodality therapy incorporating cytoreductive surgery, systemic chemotherapy and … [Read more...]
Nivolumab prolongs PFS, OS in relapsed malignant mesothelioma
Nivolumab significantly prolonged PFS and OS compared with placebo for patients with [ relapsed mesothelioma ], according to findings presented at International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer World Conference on Lung Cancer. “Mesothelioma is predominately a disease that is not suitable for surgery and is one for which chemotherapy has … [Read more...]