This year has been a busy one when it comes to mesothelioma progress. Researchers have reported several promising developments in the last 6 months.
One group may have discovered a new class of treatment for inoperable pleural mesothelioma. Others announced advances in immunotherapy and response monitoring. Keep reading to learn more about new clinical trials and drugs that may soon improve patient prognosis.
RSO-021 Antibiotic Has Anti-Cancer Properties
RSO-021, also known as thiostrepton, is a naturally occurring antibiotic. Currently, veterinarians use it to treat certain kinds of infections in livestock. But early testing indicates it may be able to fight mesothelioma tumors.
RSO-021 blocks an important enzyme in mesothelioma cells. According to researchers, cancer cells die when this enzyme is blocked, but healthy cells are spared.
In an early study, scientists used RSO-021 on mesothelioma cells from real patients. The cells were collected from pleural effusion fluid. In the lab, the mesothelioma cells died when treated with RSO-021.
Given these promising results, the team is moving forward with additional testing. A new clinical trial will treat patients with inoperable pleural mesothelioma. The weekly treatments will inject RSO-021 into the pleural space, where mesothelioma tumors start.
The trial is currently recruiting patients. Researchers expect the study to wrap up by April 2025. If this trial goes well, RSO-021 may turn out to be a gentler – but still effective – alternative to other treatments.
FDA Fast Tracks UV1 with Opdivo® and Yervoy®
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has granted a Fast Track designation to the UV1 cancer vaccine. The Fast Track status applies to UV1 in combination with Opdivo® (nivolumab) and Yervoy® (ipilimumab). This therapy is under development as a treatment for inoperable pleural mesothelioma. Fast Track designation means it will receive an expedited review process and may earn FDA approval faster than usual.
Opdivo and Yervoy are checkpoint inhibitor drugs (ICIs). ICIs are a type of immunotherapy that teaches the immune system to recognize and kill cancer cells.
FDA reviewers granted this designation based on promising clinical trial results. All study patients received Opdivo and Yervoy, and one group also received UV1. In an early analysis, the UV1 patients had a 27% lower death risk than those only receiving Opdivo and Yervoy.
If the study results maintain this level of promise, UV1 may become the newest mesothelioma treatment option. But only time will tell.
Peritoneal Mesothelioma Disappeared After Keytruda® Treatment
A case study has reported encouraging results for a patient treated with Keytruda® (pembrolizumab). Like Opdivo and Yervoy, Keytruda is a checkpoint inhibitor drug. It is not approved specifically for treating mesothelioma. But doctors can still prescribe it if they see it as a good option.
The report details the diagnosis and treatment of a 59-year-old man with peritoneal mesothelioma. He was initially treated with a standard chemotherapy regimen. But his tumors kept growing.
Doctors decided to try Keytruda. Over time, his tumors stopped growing and then started shrinking. After a few years, he appeared to be in complete remission. The researchers noted the patient had a high quality of life, despite the “aggressive nature of this disease.”
Since this report only covers a single patient, it is unclear if others would have a similar experience. Additional research may help answer this question.
Breath Testing May Predict Mesothelioma Prognosis
Researchers have been studying breath testing for a while now. They aim to use a person’s exhaled breath to better understand what’s going on inside the body.
A group of mesothelioma researchers have looked into breath testing for early diagnosis. No official tests have been developed yet. But the idea of a non-invasive diagnostic test generated a lot of excitement in the mesothelioma community.
Another group has been studying a different breath-testing application. Researchers designed a test to predict if a patient’s mesothelioma tumors would respond to treatment. The test was right 89% of the time.
Larger studies are needed to determine if this tool can truly predict treatment responses. But if it can, researchers say it could lead to an overall improvement in mesothelioma therapy.
What Does This Mean for Mesothelioma Patients?
Right now, these advances are still in the early stages of development. So they are unlikely to affect many patients at this time. But we can all keep watching for additional updates and potentially good news from these researchers.
