Unprecedented long-term survival in a patient with malignant pleural mesothelioma treated with subsequent systemic chemo- and immunotherapeutic regimens

Thorac Cancer. 2023 Feb;14(5):524-527. doi: 10.1111/1759-7714.14789. Epub 2023 Jan 4.

Abstract

Pleural mesothelioma is a rare disease with a dismal prognosis and few therapeutic options. Until recently the median overall survival for a pleural mesothelioma patient was up to 2 years, with few exceptional cases of patients achieving a longer survival. Here, we report the clinical case of a patient whose survival spanned over 10 years. The patient underwent several systemic treatments, including three different chemotherapy lines (cisplatin-pemetrexed, vinorelbine and platinum rechallenge) and two immunotherapy regimens using immune checkpoint inhibitors (anti CTLA-4 tremelimumab and anti PD-1 nivolumab). At the time this report was written, the patient was off-treatment, asymptomatic and with a stable radiological disease. Our case demonstrates that a prolonged survival with a preserved quality of life may be reached in selected patients through the exploitation of the available treatments in an expertise setting.

Keywords: immunotherapy; long-term survival; mesothelioma; treatment response.

Publication types

  • Case Reports
  • Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't

MeSH terms

  • Antineoplastic Combined Chemotherapy Protocols / therapeutic use
  • Humans
  • Immunotherapy
  • Lung Neoplasms* / pathology
  • Mesothelioma* / drug therapy
  • Mesothelioma, Malignant* / drug therapy
  • Pemetrexed / therapeutic use
  • Pleural Neoplasms* / drug therapy
  • Pleural Neoplasms* / pathology
  • Quality of Life

Substances

  • Pemetrexed