Mesothelioma Study Explores New Treatment When Chemotherapy Fails

A clinical trial is exploring whether a novel immunotherapy/antiangiogenic combination can serve as an effective second-line treatment for pleural mesothelioma. Early indications of the four-center, phase II clinical trial are positive. The combination involves nivolumab (Opdivo) , a well-known immunotherapy drug, and ramucirumab (Cyramza), a therapy drug that blocks the formation of blood vessels needed for new tumor growth. The Food and Drug Administration approved both drugs for the treatment of other cancers, but this clinical trial is the first to test them in combination for mesothelioma. The single-arm trial began in 2018 and is expected to finish in 2021. “Any assessment of outcomes at this point would be preliminary,” medical oncologist Dr. Alberto Chiappori, principal investigator at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, told The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com. “But we have not seen any reason not to be encouraged. There is everything to assume we can expect a positive outcome.” Help with Unresectable Disease The trial is for patients whose unresectable tumors have progressed after chemotherapy. The Moffitt Cancer Center is just one of four institutions hosting the trial. The others include Regions Hospital Cancer Center in St. Paul, Minnesota; Karmanos Cancer Center in Detroit; and the University of Maryland Cancer Center in Baltimore. “I cannot provide details yet, but I can say that patients are doing well, and this encourages us to offer this study ...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: news