Opdivo Study Offers Hope to Relapsed Mesothelioma Patients

A recent study out of the United Kingdom finds patients with relapsed malignant mesothelioma can be treated effectively with single-agent nivolumab, safely improving overall and progression-free survival. Nivolumab, also known by the brand name Opdivo, is an immunotherapy drug already being used successfully with non-small cell lung cancer. It is the first drug to show a significant survival advantage for relapsed mesothelioma in a phase III clinical trial, according to principal investigator Dr. Dean Fennell, medical oncologist at the University of Leicester in England. “This is very encouraging news,” Fennell told The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com. “Until now, we’ve never had a treatment for mesothelioma that demonstrated these kinds of study results. It should be made available now to patients with relapsed disease.” Fennell presented results of the recent study, known as CONFIRM, at the World Conference on Lung Cancer last month. The randomized trial involved 332 patients with unresectable disease across 24 study locations within the United Kingdom. “Effective treatment for relapsed mesothelioma is an unmet need,” Fennell said. “This is first-ever evidence to support any treatment in a relapsed setting for mesothelioma.” Nivolumab Part of First-Line Mesothelioma Treatment The U.S. Food and Drug Administration granted historic approval of the Opdivo and Yervoy immunotherapy combination for first-line treatment of mesothelioma in October 2020. Based...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: news