Research on Clinical Treatment of Mesothelioma

A special issue of Cancers (ISSN 2072-6694). This special issue belongs to the section "Clinical Research of Cancer".

Deadline for manuscript submissions: 10 January 2025 | Viewed by 2170

Special Issue Editors


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Guest Editor
1. Department of Internal Medicine and Medical Therapeutics, University of Pavia Medical School, 27100 Pavia, Italy
2. Unit of Respiratory System Diseases, Cardio-Thoracic and Vascular Department, IRCCS Fondazione Policlinico San Matteo, 27100 Pavia, Italy
Interests: thoracic cancers; personalized medicine; oncogenomics; metastatic process
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Guest Editor
Interventional Pulmonary Section, Community Health Network, Heart and Vascular Hospital, Community MD Anderson Cancer Center North, Indianapolis, IN, USA
Interests: lung cancer; pleural disease

Special Issue Information

Dear Colleagues,

Pleural mesothelioma (PM) is a rare and aggressive neoplasm that originates from the pleural mesothelium and whose onset is mainly linked to occupational and/or environmental exposure to asbestos. Conventional chemotherapy as well as targeted therapies have failed against disease progression and patients’ prognoses are still poor; in some instances, supportive care is the only therapeutic option. However, the advent of immunotherapy, the development of advanced cell therapy platforms, and the application of innovative technologies in cancer management have allowed some effective improvement in PM as well.

Thus, the aim of the present Special Issue is to recapitulate the current standard of care for this orphan cancer and to focus on novel and more promising approaches in PM screening, diagnosis, and treatment.

Dr. Giulia M. Stella
Dr. Walid Hadid
Guest Editors

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Keywords

  • pleural mesothelioma
  • targeted therapy
  • local treatments
  • radiomics
  • genetic traits
  • occupational health
  • asbestos exposure

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Published Papers (3 papers)

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11 pages, 658 KiB  
Article
Paradoxical Improvement in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Outcomes Following Delayed Treatment Initiation
by Ashwin Kulshrestha, Emanuela Taioli, Andrea Wolf, Raja Flores and Stephanie Tuminello
Cancers 2024, 16(22), 3755; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16223755 - 7 Nov 2024
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Abstract
Background/Objectives: Time to treatment initiation (TTI) has been identified as a predictor of survival in many cancers, but its impact on malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is unknown. This study investigates factors influencing TTI in MPM and its association with overall survival. Methods: The [...] Read more.
Background/Objectives: Time to treatment initiation (TTI) has been identified as a predictor of survival in many cancers, but its impact on malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is unknown. This study investigates factors influencing TTI in MPM and its association with overall survival. Methods: The Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) database was used to obtain data for MPM patients in the United States. TTI was defined as the number of days from diagnosis to initiation of first treatment, and delayed TTI was defined as exceeding the median TTI. Χ2 tests and t-tests compared sociodemographic and clinical differences between early and delayed TTI groups, while Kaplan–Meier and Cox proportional hazards models evaluated relationships between prognostic factors, TTI, and survival. Results: Among 4879 MPM patients, the median TTI was 39 days. Median survival was 10 months among early TTI patients and 13 months among delayed TTI patients. Patients with epithelioid histology were more likely to have delayed TTI, as were patients who received combination therapy or were diagnosed more recently (p < 0.0001). Adjusting for covariates, delayed TTI status remained associated with better survival (HR 0.79, 95% CI: 0.74–0.84). Conclusions: This study presents an important insight into the management of MPM, demonstrating that delayed time to treatment initiation is positively associated with improved overall survival, contrary to findings in most cancers. This finding underscores the importance of comprehensive, multidisciplinary care, as delays due to robust staging evaluations and patient travel to high-volume centers of excellence likely contribute to delays in treatment. Taken together, these results suggest that clinicians should prioritize personalized treatment planning and collaborative care over a push to rapidly initiate treatment to optimize patient outcomes in MPM. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Clinical Treatment of Mesothelioma)
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10 pages, 1413 KiB  
Article
Impact of T Cell Ratios on Survival in Pleural Mesothelioma: Insights from Tumor Microenvironment Analysis
by Laura V. Klotz, Andreas Weigert, Florian Eichhorn, Michael Allgäuer, Thomas Muley, Rajiv Shah, Rajkumar Savai, Martin E. Eichhorn and Hauke Winter
Cancers 2024, 16(19), 3418; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16193418 - 8 Oct 2024
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Abstract
Background: Immunotherapy has significantly improved overall survival in patients with pleural mesothelioma, yet this benefit does not extend to those with the epithelioid subtype. Tumor growth is believed to be influenced by the immune response. This study aimed to analyze the tumor microenvironment [...] Read more.
Background: Immunotherapy has significantly improved overall survival in patients with pleural mesothelioma, yet this benefit does not extend to those with the epithelioid subtype. Tumor growth is believed to be influenced by the immune response. This study aimed to analyze the tumor microenvironment to gain a better understanding of its influence on tumor growth. Methods: The tumor immune cell infiltration of 188 patients with pleural mesothelioma was characterized by multiplex immunofluorescence staining for CD3+ cells (CD3+), CD4+ cells (CD3+/CD4+), CD8+ cells (CD3+/CD8+), Treg (CD3+/CD4+/CD8-/CD163-/Foxp3+), PD1 cells (PD1+), and T helper cells (CD3+/CD4+/CD8-/CD163-/FoxP3-). The distribution of specific immune cells was correlated with clinical parameters. Results: A total of 188 patients with pleural mesothelioma (135 epithelioid, 9 sarcomatoid, 44 biphasic subtypes) were analyzed. The median age was 64.8 years. Overall survival was significantly longer in the epithelioid subtype than in the non-epithelioid subtype (p = 0.016). The presence of PD-L1 expression had a negative effect on overall survival (p = 0.041). A high ratio of CD4+ cells to regulatory T cells was associated with a significantly longer overall survival of more than 12 months (p = 0.015). The ratio of CD4+ cells to regulatory T cells retained its significant effect on overall survival in the multivariate analysis. Conclusions: Distinct differences in the T cell immune infiltrates in mesothelioma are strongly associated with overall survival. The tumor microenvironment could therefore serve as a source of prognostic biomarkers. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Clinical Treatment of Mesothelioma)
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13 pages, 1484 KiB  
Study Protocol
Phase I Clinical Trial on Pleural Mesothelioma Using Neoadjuvant Local Administration of Paclitaxel-Loaded Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (PACLIMES Trial): Study Rationale and Design
by Giulia Maria Stella, Daniela Lisini, Paolo Pedrazzoli, Giulia Galli, Chandra Bortolotto, Giulio Melloni, Gioacchino D’Ambrosio, Catherine Klersy, Amelia Grosso, Francesca Paino, Stefano Tomaselli, Laura Saracino, Giulio Alessandri, Augusto Pessina, Elena Grignani, Vittorio Rosti, Angelo Guido Corsico, Patrizia Comoli and Francesco Agustoni
Cancers 2024, 16(19), 3391; https://doi.org/10.3390/cancers16193391 - 4 Oct 2024
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Abstract
Background and rationale. Pleural mesothelioma (PM) is a rare and aggressive neoplasm that originates from the pleural mesothelium and whose onset is mainly linked to exposure to asbestos, which cannot be attacked with truly effective therapies with consequent poor prognosis. The rationale of [...] Read more.
Background and rationale. Pleural mesothelioma (PM) is a rare and aggressive neoplasm that originates from the pleural mesothelium and whose onset is mainly linked to exposure to asbestos, which cannot be attacked with truly effective therapies with consequent poor prognosis. The rationale of this study is based on the use of mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs) as a vehicle for chemotherapy drugs to be injected directly into the pathological site, such as the pleural cavity. Study design. The study involves the use of a conventional chemotherapeutic drug, Paclitaxel (PTX), which is widely used in the treatment of different types of solid tumors, including PM, although some limitations are related to pharmacokinetic aspects. The use of PTX-loaded MSCs to treat PM should provide several potential advantages over the systemically administered drug as reduced toxicity and increased concentration of active drug in the tumor-surrounding context. The PACLIMES trial explores the safety and toxicity of the local administration of Paclimes in chemonaive patients, candidates for pleurectomy. The secondary objective is to find the effective Paclimes dose for subsequent phase II studies and to observe and record the antitumor activity. Future direction. The experimental pre-clinical background and rationale are discussed as well. Full article
(This article belongs to the Special Issue Research on Clinical Treatment of Mesothelioma)
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