Opdivo and Yervoy for mesothelioma is the immunotherapy combination receiving the crux of attention.
Another pairing of mesothelioma immunotherapy, tremelimumab and durvalumab, is showing promise.
A new study analyzed the benefits of tremelimumab and durvalumab for malignant pleural mesothelioma and malignant peritoneal mesothelioma. Tremelimumab, manufactured by AstraZeneca, doesn’t have a brand name. Durvalumab’s brand name is Imfinzi.
The phase 2 study included 40 participants. It began in October 2015 and concluded April 30, 2020. The Lancelet, a medical journal, released the information in early April 2021, a year after the study ended.
What Are Tremelimumab and Durvalumab?
Tremelimumab is a checkpoint inhibitor for the proteins CTLA-4 and B7. It blocks the link between these proteins and allows the immune system to protect the body from cancer.
Durvalumab is a PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor. It works the same way, separating the proteins PD-1 and PD-L1 to improve the immune system’s response to mesothelioma.
Opdivo is a PD-1/PD-L1 checkpoint inhibitor. Yervoy is a CTLA-4 and B7 checkpoint inhibitor. So tremelimumab and durvalumab are substitutes for an FDA-approved mesothelioma immunotherapy regimen.
Survival Stats for Tremelimumab and Durvalumab
The median mesothelioma survival was 16.5 months in the tremelimumab and durvalumab study. Patients with a high tumor mutational burden performed exceptionally. Limited data revealed a median survival of 41 months for these patients.
Eight of the 40 patients (20%) survived for three years, and 15% survived for four years.
Chemotherapy has a median survival of one year, with three- and four-year survival rates lower than tremelimumab and durvalumab. Opdivo and Yervoy were FDA-approved for unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma due to outperforming chemotherapy.
Some patients have worrisome side effects from specific immunotherapy drugs. If anyone cannot take Opdivo or Yervoy, they can turn to tremelimumab and durvalumab.
Sources & Author
- Tremelimumab plus durvalumab retreatment and 4-year outcomes in patients with mesothelioma: a follow-up of the open label, non-randomised, phase 2 NIBIT-MESO-1 study. The Lancelet. Retrieved from: https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33844995/. Accessed: 04/20/2021.
- A Study of Tremelimumab Combined With the Anti-PD-L1 MEDI4736 Antibody in Malignant Mesothelioma (NIBIT-MESO-1). Clinicaltrials.gov. Retrieved from: https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02588131. Accessed: 04/20/2021.
Sources & Author
