Immunotherapy Vaccine for Mesothelioma Gets High Marks

Immunotherapy vaccine CRS-207 is moving closer to changing the way malignant pleural mesothelioma will be treated in the future. CRS-207 produced a startling 94 percent disease control rate when combined with a chemotherapy cocktail of cisplatin and pemetrexed in a recent, multicenter clinical trial. Thoracic oncologist Dr. Thierry Jahan of the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center detailed the results last week at the 2016 European Lung Cancer Conference. “We’ve seen a really impressive response,” Jahan said. “It’s an impressive signal for a study like this.” The CRS-207 vaccine is a form of Listeria monocytogenes, a bacterium that is weakened and genetically modified to produce an anti-tumor response without causing disease or serious side effects. The study involved 38 patients with advanced, unresectable pleural mesothelioma. Each patient received two doses of CRS-207 every two weeks, then six cycles of pemetrexed and cisplatin every three weeks. They were followed by two more vaccine infusions in three-week intervals. Patients were assessed every eight weeks until disease progression and given maintenance doses of CRS-207. There was stable disease in 35 percent of the patients and partial response in 59 percent. Pleural Mesothelioma Tumor Shrinkage Tumor shrinkage was reported in 85 percent of the patients. Median progression-free survival was 8.5 months, compared to the 5.7 months previously reported with only the chemo...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Tags: Treatment & Doctors Source Type: news