Essential Questions to ask if you or a loved one has been diagnosed with Mesothelioma ***IMPORTANT***

Immunotherapy for Mesothelioma: Survival Metrics and Advancements

Posted on: October 24, 2023 *Updated on: May 27, 2024

Two key factors that the FDA examines for treatment approval are the survival benefit and safety profile.

  1. Durvalumab in combination with chemotherapy resulted in a median survival of 20 months, a significant improvement over chemotherapy alone.
  2. A blend of ONCOS-102 and chemotherapy achieved a median survival of 20.5 months, a seven-month gain compared to chemotherapy by itself.
  3. A combination therapy known as AtezoBev, comprising Atezolizumab and bevacizumab, allowed 80% of patients to survive for at least one year. The median progression-free survival was 17.6 months.
  4. LMB-100 showed a median survival of 11.9 months. Notably, 80% of patients with elevated PD-L1 levels exhibited a tumor response. One patient even experienced a complete response, indicating total disease eradication.
  5. For pleural mesothelioma patients, the combination of Opdivo and Yervoy yielded a median survival of 18.1 months, superior to the 14.1 months achieved with chemotherapy.
  6. Ramucirumab alongside chemotherapy offered a median survival of nearly 14 months, almost doubling the 7.5-month survival rate with chemotherapy alone.
  7. Anetumab ravtansine was most effective at a dosage of 6.5mg/kg every three weeks, with an overall response rate of 31%—indicating disease reduction. Furthermore, the disease control rate was 75%, signifying either shrinkage or stabilization of the disease.
  8. Dendritic cell therapy led to a remarkable median survival of 27 months.
  9. A German study revealed that Opdivo and Yervoy had a meaningful impact on patients with challenging mesothelioma cell types—epithelioid and sarcomatoid:
    • Epithelioid patients had an average survival of 19 months with immunotherapy, an improvement of 3 months over chemotherapy.
    • Sarcomatoid patients experienced a 17-month survival with immunotherapy, far surpassing the 9-month survival when treated with chemotherapy.

These advancements suggest a promising future for mesothelioma treatment, showcasing the potential of immunotherapies to enhance survival and quality of life for patients.

This information is as of September 2023