CAR T-Cell Therapy May ‘ Change the Paradigm of Treating Mesothelioma ’

Thoracic surgeon and scientist Dr. Prasad Adusumilli at Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) Cancer Center believes customized gene therapy will soon change the way pleural mesothelioma is treated. Adusumilli, director of the Mesothelioma Program at MSK, has worked for a decade on developing tumor immunology for thoracic malignancies. He is currently the principal investigator of a phase I clinical trial involving specially prepared immune cells — chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T cells — that have shown impressive efficacy with mesothelioma. “I think this is going to change the paradigm of treating mesothelioma,” Adusumilli told Asbestos.com. “We are seeing results now. We are going in the right direction.” Adusumilli presented a preliminary report of his study at the 2018 American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy annual meeting in Chicago earlier this year. “I don’t want to give unrealistic hope for patients. This is a phase I study,” he said. “We obviously have to do more studies, to prove beyond any doubt what works. But what we’re seeing now is exciting.” CAR T Working with Solid Tumors Adusumilli singled out a 73-year-old mesothelioma patient who received the CAR T-cell therapy in combination with Keytruda (pembrolizumab), which improves the efficacy and extends duration of this type of treatment. That patient achieved a complete metabolic response. He is doing well now after 16 months, without any further treatment. As part of the clinical trial, whic...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: news