Vaccine for Lung Cancer May Improve Effectiveness of Chemotherapy for Mesothelioma Patients
Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer which is only known to occur as a result of exposure to asbestos. As a result, the disease which can form in the lining of the lungs, abdomen or heart, is entirely preventable – however, it is also incurable. Lung cancer has also been shown to be caused by occupational exposure, and finding an effective treatment for the cancers has continued to challenge researchers. Now, researchers in France have made a discovery that can increase survival time for lung cancer patients that may also help mesothelioma patients.
In a study published in The Lancet Oncology, researchers from the University of Strasbourg in France reported that a “therapeutic vaccine for advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC) added to combination chemotherapy improved progression-free survival compared with combination chemotherapy alone in early trials.”
The immunotherapy agent TG4010, which targets the MUC1 tumor-associated antigen, when given to patients in addition to the chemotherapy agents cisplatin and gemcitabine achieved a higher six-month progression-free survival than those given the chemotherapy combination alone, according to the authors. Response appeared to be modified by a specific natural killer cell biomarker, they added.
Chemotherapy drugs are usually given in combinations of two or more when treating mesothelioma and lung cancer, with the preferred combination being gemcitabine and cisplatin for mesothelioma. Carboplatin and cisplatin are the most common chemotherapy drugs used to treat lung cancer.
The researchers said there are natural killer cells that “have a crucial role in the clinical response to TG4010; above a given threshold of activity of these cells, the ensuing immune response is decreased, as is tumor surveillance by the adaptive immune response.”
The authors added that “pretreatment biomarker analysis should be a general part of the clinical development of cancer immunotherapies.”
Chemotherapy is the primary treatment modality for mesothelioma patients making these findings critical in increasing the efficacy of the chemotherapy.
Researchers have begun a phase IIb-3 trial of the vaccine.
