Last Updated on 22nd September 2020 by

Immunotherapy treatment for mesothelioma gives patients new hope

Researchers have identified a promising new delivery method for an immunotherapy combination that could aid mesothelioma treatment significantly.

The team of researchers from the University of North Carolina Lineberger Comprehensive Cancer Center say they discovered this by binding two molecules together.

Their research found that using nanoparticles to deliver multiple immunotherapy drugs at the same time increased the effectiveness of the treatment for mesothelioma.

This approach proved to be far more effective in awakening the body’s immune system to begin fighting the cancer.

Andrew Z. Wang, MD, associate professor in the UNC School of Medicine Department of Radiation Oncology said, “Our study suggests that if you’re able to present two different therapeutics at the same time to immune cells to help them fight cancer, the effect is greater.”

UNC researchers bound together a checkpoint inhibitor, a drug that spurs the T-cells to kill cancer cells, and OX40, a new class of immunotherapy, along with a dose of radiation, into a nanoparticle, and then directed it to a tumor.

This combination was found to stimulate the T-cells at higher rates than antibodies delivered separately.

In melanoma mouse models, the researchers witnessed a cure rate of 30 percent.

Immunotherapy is evolving as an effective treatment

Immunotherapy is still a relatively new treatment, but it has already shown to be effective in some lung cancer patients, including mesothelioma.

But as not all patients are responsive to immunotherapy, scientists continue their research into improving the effectiveness of what is considered a promising treatment.

As such, a very similar study was conducted last year by the National Cancer Institute.

Scientists wanted to assess the impact the sequence of immunotherapy drug delivery has on survival.

Using a PD-1 inhibitor and an OX40 drug, they found that when the OX40 was delivered first that the treatment was more effective.

Together, both studies show that immunotherapy treatment used in combination with other inhibitors, and simultaneous delivery is a step forward in new effective mesothelioma treatment for patients.

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Published May 08, 2018