Breath Test Predicts Immunotherapy Response to Mesothelioma

Researchers in the Netherlands are touting a novel breath test for mesothelioma patients to better predict response to the immunotherapy combination of nivolumab and ipilimumab that was approved recently for first-line treatment of the disease. They believe exhaled breath analysis using electronic technology – known as eNose – can differentiate between responders and nonresponders before treatment begins, saving many patients from unnecessary side effects. There currently are no biomarkers for mesothelioma that can accurately predict the effectiveness of these types of immunotherapy drugs, known as immune checkpoint inhibitors. Certain immunotherapy drugs have worked especially well for some mesothelioma patients, but only for a small percentage of them. The research team based its reasoning on a recent study of 31 pleural mesothelioma patients in the Netherlands, all of whom received the nivolumab and ipilimumab combination after the eNose test. “Upfront identification of the subgroup that will benefit [or will not] could ultimately lead to improved outcomes,” the study authors wrote. “The eNose could become a tool for prediction of response.” The European Journal of Cancer published the study in its July 2021 edition. Lead author Dr. Maria Disselhorst of the Netherlands Cancer Institute declined to provide any additional insight to The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com. Immunotherapy Combination Recently Approved The combination of nivo...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: news