Preliminary Results of Immunotherapy Drug Show Promise for Mesothelioma Patients
Alexandria, VA (PRWEB) April 22, 2015 -- Dr. Evan W. Alley, MD, PhD, co-director of the Penn Mesothelioma and Pleural Program. reported the results of a Phase 1b trial of pembrolizumab for PD-L1-positive advanced solid tumors at the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) Annual Meeting on Sunday. Of the twenty-five patients with mesothelioma who were treated as part of the study, 28% experienced tumor shrinkage and another 48% had prolonged stabilization of their disease. The drug was also demonstrated to be safe, with no patients discontinuing treatment as a result of side-effects.
”These results are quite exciting, and provide further proof of principal that this class of drugs, known as checkpoint inhibitors, are effective for mesothelioma,” noted Dr. Lee M. Krug, Chair of the Board of Directors for the Meso Foundation. “Hopefully this study will encourage much larger trials in this disease.”
Pembolizumab is an antibody that blocks the inhibitory effects of PD-1, thereby boosting the immune system’s activity. In cancer, high tumor expression of PD-L1 is linked with more aggressive disease and a poorer prognosis, and PD-L1 expression was used to select patients for this study. PD-1 inhibitors have already shown great promise in melanoma, renal cell carcinoma and lung cancer, demonstrating both tumor shrinkage and durable responses. Pembrolizumab (KeytrudaTM) is FDA approved for the treatment of advanced melanoma.
In May, the Meso Foundation will be hosting Dr. Alley in an interview, as part of the organization’s ‘Meet the Mesothelioma Experts’ series. More information about the series is available here: http://www.curemeso.org/experts.
Mesothelioma is a malignant tumor of the lining of the lung, abdomen, or heart known to be caused by exposure to asbestos. Medical experts consider it one of the most aggressive and deadly of all cancers. An estimated one-third of those who develop mesothelioma were exposed while serving in the Navy or working in shipyards.
ABOUT THE MESOTHELIOMA APPLIED RESEARCH FOUNDATION
The Meso Foundation is the only 501(c)3 non-profit organization dedicated to eradicating mesothelioma and easing the suffering caused by this cancer. The Meso Foundation actively seeks philanthropic support to fund peer-reviewed mesothelioma research; provide patient support services and education; and advocate Congress for increased federal funding for mesothelioma research. The Meso Foundation is the only non-government funder of peer reviewed scientific research to establish effective treatments for mesothelioma and, ultimately, a cure for this extremely aggressive cancer. To date, the Foundation has awarded over $9 million to research. More information is available at http://www.curemeso.org.
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Maja Belamaric, Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation, http://www.curemeso.org, +1 (703) 879-3822, [email protected]
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