Statins May Give Boost to Mesothelioma Immunotherapy Drugs

This study, which included both patients with pleural mesothelioma and with advanced non-small cell lung cancer, found a potential synergy with the immunotherapy drugs. Opdivo and Keytruda, generically called nivolumab and pembrolizumab, respectively, are known as PD-1 inhibitors, drugs that restrict a protein from stopping immune response to cancer cells. “Statins may lead to prolonged antigen retention on cell membrane and strengthen antigen presentation to T cells, thus suggesting a potential synergy with PD-1 inhibitors,” the authors wrote. “The anti-tumor effect of statins might be attributed to an indirect immunotherapeutic effect.” The 82 pleural mesothelioma patients in the study were from the Erasmus Medical Center in Rotterdam, Netherlands, and part of the expanded access program for nivolumab. They all were receiving second- or third-line treatment. Improvement with Statins Was Considerable The overall response rate was 22% vs. 6% for those receiving statins with nivolumab compared to those not receiving the statins. Progression-free survival advantage was 6.7 months vs. 2.3 months, respectively. Median overall survival was not reached by study end for those receiving statins vs. six months for those not receiving them. When the non-small cell lung cancer patients were included, the results were almost as impressive with statins vs. non-statins: Overall response rate: 32% vs. 18% Median progression-free survival: 6.7 months vs. 2.9 months ...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: news