Immunotherapy Before Surgery Shows Promise for Rare Lung Cancer

Immunotherapy Before Surgery Shows Promise for Rare Lung Cancer

A groundbreaking early-phase clinical trial has shown encouraging results for patients with mesothelioma — a rare and aggressive cancer affecting the lining of the lung, often linked to asbestos exposure. The study, published in Nature Medicine and presented at the World Conference on Lung Cancer in Barcelona, found that patients who received a combination of two immunotherapy drugs, nivolumab and ipilimumab, before surgery experienced successful operations and promising early outcomes.

The trial was led by Professor Patrick Forde of the Trinity St. James’s Cancer Institute (TSJCI) and the School of Medicine at Trinity College Dublin. It marks the first clinical trial to explore the use of combination immunotherapy prior to surgery for mesothelioma, which affects approximately 50 people annually in Ireland and 30,000 globally.

“We are excited to make progress for patients with mesothelioma which is a rare and serious cancer that affects about 50 people annually in Ireland,” said Prof. Forde. “The use of immunotherapy to treat different cancers is expanding across stages of the disease and allied to our recent work in lung cancer this study shows the potential benefits of leveraging the patient’s own immune system prior to surgery in order to recognise and kill cancer cells at the earliest timepoint possible. At TSJCI we have clinical trials ongoing and planned across different types and stages of cancer that aim to apply cutting edge research to maximise benefit for patients.”

Read the full study: Perioperative nivolumab or nivolumab plus ipilimumab in resectable diffuse pleural mesothelioma: a phase 2 trial and ctDNA analyses.

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