Anti-CTLA-4 therapy for malignant mesothelioma

• Published in: Immunotherapy Vol. 9; no. 3; pp. 273 - 280
• Main Authors: Guazzelli, Alice, Bakker, Emyr, Krstic-Demonacos, Marija, Lisanti, Michael P, Sotgia, Federica, Mutti, Luciano
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: England Future Medicine Ltd 01.03.2017
• Subjects: Animals; anti-CLTA-4; Antibodies, Monoclonal - therapeutic use; Antibodies, Monoclonal, Humanized; Antineoplastic Agents - therapeutic use; B7-H1 Antigen - immunology; B7-H1 Antigen - metabolism; Biomarkers; Cancer therapies; Chemotherapy; Clinical trials; Clinical Trials as Topic; CTLA-4 Antigen - immunology; CTLA-4 Antigen - metabolism; CTLA-4 protein; Humans; Immune checkpoint inhibitors; Immune system; Immunoglobulins; Immunotherapy; Immunotherapy - methods; Ligands; Lung Neoplasms - immunology; Lung Neoplasms - therapy; Lymphocyte Activation; Lymphocytes; malignant mesothelioma; Medical prognosis; Melanoma; Mesothelioma; Mesothelioma - immunology; Mesothelioma - therapy; Mesothelioma, Malignant; Metastases; Neoplasm Metastasis; PD-1 protein; PD-L1 protein; Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor - immunology; Programmed Cell Death 1 Receptor - metabolism; Solid tumors; Studies; T-Lymphocytes - immunology; Treatment Outcome; Tumors; United States > US; Chicago Illinois; malignant mesothelioma; immunotherapy; anti-CLTA-4
• ISSN: 1750-743X; 1750-7448
• DOI: 10.2217/imt-2016-0123

Immunotherapy is an emerging therapeutic strategy with a promising clinical outcome in some solid tumors, particularly metastatic melanoma. One approach to immunotherapy is immune checkpoint inhibitors, such as blockage of CTLA-4 and PD-1/PD-L1. This special report aims to describe the state of clinical trials of tremelimumab in patients with unresectable malignant mesothelioma (MM) in particular with regard to the clinical efficacy, safety and tolerability. Criticism and perspective of this treatment are also discussed. Biological and clinical considerations rule out the use of tremelimumab as single agent for MM and, more generally, the use of immune checkpoint inhibitors for MM is still largely questionable and not supported by evidences.