Immunotherapy for Mesothelioma Cancer Patients

A Developing Malignant Mesothelioma Treatment Option with Potential

Oct 21, 2009 David Harris-Gershon

Malignant mesothelioma, a cancer difficult to treat with just chemotherapy, is the subject of many experimental clinical trials involving immunotherapy.

Anecdotal scientific findings have shown that mesothelioma cancer cells may be treatable using various immunotherapy techniques in conjunction with other traditional cancer therapies (such as chemotherapy or radiation therapy). As with many experimental mesothelioma cancer treatment options currently being researched and developed, there are many different immunological methods currently being explored by medical researchers.

Malignant Mesothelioma Cancer Cells and the Immune System

The human immune system is a complex network which is incredibly sophisticated in its ability to detect and attack harmful agents, including viruses, bacteria and other foreign elements. However, with cancer cells in general, and mesothelioma cancer cells in particular, the immune system has two obstacles to overcome. First, it's difficult for the immune system to properly identify cancer cells, as they appear as normal human cells which are simply growing quickly. Second, the immune system is not ideally equipped to attack individual human cells as well as the cells of bacteria.

However, according to a 2007 study published in the journal Nature Reviews Clinical Oncology entitled "Advances in the systemic therapy of malignant pleural mesothelioma," researchers found that malignant mesothelioma cancer cells "overexpress" a protein called mesothelin. Why is this important? The immune system, with the aid of various immunotherapy techniques, may be able to identify and attack mesothelioma cancer cells by identifying this protein.

Active Immunotherapy and Mesothelioma Cancer Cells

Active immunotherapy is defined by immunological treatment options that attempt to trigger natural defense responses from the immune system. In essence, active immunotherapy tries to kick-start the immune system to attack mesothelioma cancer cells.

For malignant mesothelioma, new active immunotherapy techniques, though still experimental, are currently being developed. The vast majority of these are cancer vaccines. (Note: Cancer vaccines are designed to target agents already in the body, as opposed to traditional vaccines, which are designed to protect the body from future attacks).

Cancer Vaccines and Malignant Mesothelioma Cancer Cells

There are a number of cancer vaccines currently being developed, and the following list (culled from Mesothelioma Web) highlights several such vaccines:

• Mesothelioma Tumor Vaccines – These vaccines contain malignant mesothelioma cancer cells taken from the patient, which are then "treated in the laboratory so they can not proliferate further, and are altered through the addition of chemicals or new genes so they are more recognizable to the immune system. The cells are then injected back into the patient, with the goal that the immune system will recognize the antigens on the altered cells and attack any remaining cells with those antigens."
• Antigen Vaccines – These vaccines are not created from materials taken from a particular cancer patient; rather, they are produced broadly, and specialized for individual cancers. The vaccines themselves use identifying proteins which work as antigens. (Remember mesothelin? This is one such protein.)
• DNA Vaccines - In the above vaccines, the hope is that the immune system will recognize the treated cancer cells or antigens injected into a patient's body and go on attack mode. The problem is that often, this attack mode (when it happens successfully) is brief. Thus, DNA vaccines have been under development. The concept behind DNA vaccines is that by permanently altering malignant mesothelioma cancer cells' DNA such that they release identifying antigens (and then multiply), the immune system will continue to recognize and attack the malignant cells.

Passive Immunotherapy and Mesothelioma Cancer Cells – Monoclonal Antibody Therapy

Monoclonal antibody therapy is passive in that, like chemotherapy or radiation therapy, the immune system is not at work here. Rather, created antibodies (which are developed for each specific cancer) are injected into a patient and target the respective cancer cells (in this case mesothelioma cancer cells).

According to Mesothelioma Web, there are two forms of "monoclonal antibodies used for cancer treatment: [n]aked monoclonal antibodies (those with no drug or radioactive material attached to them) and conjugated monoclonal antibodies (those joined to chemotherapy drugs, radioactive particles or toxins." Of the two, naked monoclonal antibodies are most commonly used, and have sometimes been utilized as a first or second line treatment.

In addition to monoclonal antibody therapy and the active cancer vaccines, there are a number of further immunotherapy techniques currently being researched. For a more complete list, reference Mesothelioma Web's immunotherapy page.

The copyright of the article Immunotherapy for Mesothelioma Cancer Patients in General Medicine is owned by David Harris-Gershon. Permission to republish Immunotherapy for Mesothelioma Cancer Patients in print or online must be granted by the author in writing.

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