NCI Studying New Mesothelioma Immunotherapy Combination

Patients with mesothelioma are being recruited by the National Cancer Institute for a phase II clinical trial using a novel immunotoxin prior to pembrolizumab, a combination that has shown preliminary evidence of efficacy. This promising mesothelioma clinical trial involves the drug LMB-100, designed to make immunotherapy agents such as pembrolizumab, otherwise known as Keytruda, more effective. NCI’s trial includes separate cohorts for pleural and peritoneal types of mesothelioma. “This is a very good option for these patients,” medical oncologist Dr. Raffit Hassan, an acclaimed investigator at the National Cancer Institute, told The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com. “I always try and be a little cautious in raising hopes, but the response rate appears to be better than what you would have expected.” Immunotherapy Combination Shows Promising Results Science Translational Medicine, in its July issue, published results of a small, earlier study. Four of the 10 patients who received Keytruda for mesothelioma off protocol after receiving LMB-100 experienced significant tumor shrinkage. Two of the four were still doing well after more than three years. The median overall survival was 11.9 months. “We were surprised, especially by one patient who got a complete response. That patient had a lot of disease,” Hassan said. “But he is doing really well. Very encouraging.” The study was originally designed to find safe dosage levels of LMB-100 and measure its anti-t...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: news