According to a study reported in the March 4 online issue of the American Journal of Respiratory and Critical Care Medicine, a group of Dutch researchers may have come up with the first vaccine for patients of malignant pleural mesothelioma. Preliminary data suggests that the antigen-pulsed dendritic cell vaccine could be a safe and effective treatment option as it detected antitumor immune responses in patients who were given the vaccine post chemotherapy.
While pleural mesothelioma is known to be an aggressive form of cancer that is considered to be difficult to treat, the new treatment holds promise of enhanced life span. An early observation in the new mesothelioma trial stemmed from prolonged survival in mice administered the immunotherapy in preclinical studies; a study on human patients followed and showed good responses. Six adult male patients who were given the vaccine responded well and did not need additional dosage or discontinuation. The localized rash at the site of the injection was a common reaction to all; many of them developed flu-like symptoms that lasted only a day.
Mesothelioma tumors are considered immunogenic, and they do not metastasize until the disease has advanced, impeding the patient’s immune system from working properly. The new vaccine with its antitumor immune responses could turn the tide for pleural mesothelioma patients who now have something to look forward to.