Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (MPM): Latent Disease

Pp: 3-92 (90)

* (Excluding Mailing and Handling)

Abstract

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a cancer with aggressive nature and poor prognosis (the median survival ranges from 9-18 months). The worldwide incidence of this disease is increasing, with 2180 estimated new cases diagnosed in the United States in 2013. Despite the apparent benefits offered by the multimodal approach (a combination of surgery, chemotherapy -cisplatin/ pemetrexed- and radiotherapy), survival remains poor. As a consequence, multiple therapies aiming to improve the evolution of the disease are under investigation. In this chapter, we will summarize some of the new preclinical and early clinical developments in the treatment of MPM, which include mesothelin specific antibody and toxin therapies, gene therapy, interleukin-4 (IL-4) receptor toxins and dendritic cell vaccines, among others.

Keywords: Activation of invasion, Activation of metastasis, Angiogenesis induction, Avoiding immune destruction, Cancer therapy, Chemotherapy, Cryotherapy, Dendritic cells vaccine, Deregulating cellular metabolism, Enabling replicative immortality, Evading growth suppressors, Genome instability, mutations and epigenetic dysregulation, Intraoperative hyperthermic chemotherapy, Iodine-povidone lavage, Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), Photodynamic therapy, Radiotherapy, Resisting cell death, Surgical treatment, Sustaining proliferative signaling, Tumor promoting inflammation, Vaccines and immunotherapy.