Mesothelioma Immunotherapy Combination Gaining Momentum

Recent studies from France and the Netherlands have shown patients with pleural mesothelioma can benefit significantly from a second-line immunotherapy drug combination.
In separate phase II studies, the combination of Opdivo (nivolumab) and Yervoy (ipilimumab) created a synergy that helped stop or slow tumor growth after traditional chemotherapy had failed.
“Our results add to the growing evidence that immunotherapy is a promising treatment,” wrote lead author Dr. Maria Disselhorst of the Netherlands Cancer Institute in Amsterdam. “The combination of nivolumab plus ipilimumab showed marked efficacy in patients with recurrent malignant pleural mesothelioma.”
Lancet Respiratory Medicine published the study from the Netherlands on January 16, 2019. Lancet Oncology published the study from France on January 18.
Looking Toward First-Line Treatment
Both studies showed similar effectiveness with the combination treatment. The authors referred new mesothelioma patients to the ongoing multicountry phase III study using the nivolumab/ipilimumab combination as a first-line treatment.
There are 17 cancer centers within the United States involved in that clinical trial.
Those include the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa; WVU Mary Babb Randolph Cancer Center in Morgantown, West Virginia; Cleveland Clinic Cancer Center in Ohio; Abramson Cancer Center in Philadelphia and Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota.
Opdivo and Yervoy are both manufactured by pharmaceutical giant Bristol-Myers ...

Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - February 11, 2019 Category: Environmental Health Authors: Daniel King Source Type: news