{"id":24509,"date":"2024-06-06T09:13:53","date_gmt":"2024-06-06T13:13:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/?p=24509"},"modified":"2025-10-10T12:41:09","modified_gmt":"2025-10-10T16:41:09","slug":"immunotherapy-effectiveness-review","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/blog\/immunotherapy-effectiveness-review\/","title":{"rendered":"How Effective Is Immunotherapy for Mesothelioma?"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Immunotherapy is a newer treatment method for mesothelioma, and many recent studies have shown it to be highly effective in destroying cancer and improving survival.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"\/treatment\/immunotherapy\/\">Mesothelioma immunotherapy<\/a> boosts the body\u2019s immune response so it can kill more cancer. An April 2024 review of various studies published in the journal <em>Open Respiratory Archives<\/em> noted the benefits of immunotherapy as a treatment for mesothelioma.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The comprehensive review noted that:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>A type of immunotherapy drug called immune checkpoint inhibitors <strong>set a new standard of care<\/strong> for mesothelioma patients and can help improve long-term survival.<\/li>\n<li>Mesothelioma immunotherapy can be <strong>used as a first-line (initial) treatmen<\/strong>t or second-line (follow-up) treatment.<\/li>\n<li>Many newer immunotherapies are <strong>being tested in clinical trials<\/strong> for mesothelioma.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Several studies have shown that immunotherapy can effectively destroy tumors, giving patients diagnosed with <a href=\"\/mesothelioma\/\">mesothelioma<\/a> greater hope for the future.<\/p>\n<p>Download our <strong>Free Immunotherapy Guide<\/strong> to see how this exciting new treatment could help you or a loved one.<\/p>\n<div id=\"23756\" class=\"one-off-23756 widget widget_oscar-vque one-off\" data-vqueid=\"23756\"><style type=\"text\/css\" data-style=\"one-off\">.one-off-23756{margin:60px auto}.one-off-23756 a{box-shadow:0 4px 4px 0 rgba(0,0,0,.25);display:block;background:linear-gradient(90deg,#B1E5EA 0,#0FAEBF 100%);padding:20px;text-decoration:none;color:inherit;position:relative;overflow:hidden;max-width:350px;margin:0 auto}.one-off-23756 a::before{background:#EDF8F9;border-radius:0 0 50% 50%;content:'';position:absolute;top:0;height:87%;width:140%;left:-70px;z-index:0}.one-off-23756 .vque-content,.one-off-23756 .image-wrap{z-index:1;position:relative}.one-off-23756 .image-wrap{max-width:163px;display:block;margin:15px auto -21px}.one-off-23756 .heading{font-size:24px;line-height:28px;text-align:center;display:block;max-width:340px;margin:5px auto 25px}.one-off-23756 ul{max-width:160px;list-style:none;margin:-10px auto 22px;text-align:left;font-size:16px;line-height:27px}.one-off-23756 ul li{margin:0;position:relative;padding-left:28px}.one-off-23756 ul li::before{font-family:\"mesohope\"!important;speak:none;font-style:normal;font-weight:normal;font-variant:normal;text-transform:none;line-height:1;content:\"\\e904\";background:#0FAEBF;width:14px;height:14px;display:block;position:absolute;left:0;top:7px;border-radius:50%;color:#fff;font-size:7px;text-align:center;line-height:14px}.one-off-23756 p{text-align:center}.one-off-23756 .button{padding:12px 16px}@media screen and (min-width:768px){.one-off-23756 a{max-width:620px;padding:25px 50px 29px;border-radius:0 0 4px 4px}.one-off-23756 a::before{border-radius:0 0 100% 0;height:83%;width:70%;right:-70px;left:unset}.one-off-23756 a::after{background:#EDF8F9;border-radius:0;content:'';position:absolute;top:0;height:82%;width:50%;left:0;z-index:0}.one-off-23756 .heading{text-align:left;margin:5px 0 25px}.one-off-23756 ul{margin:-10px 0 22px}.one-off-23756 .image-wrap{max-width:unset;position:absolute;right:0;bottom:0;margin:0 0 -2px}.one-off-23756 p{text-align:left}}<\/style><a href=\"\/immunotherapy-guide\/\" title=\"Get Your Free Immunotherapy Guide\" class=\"cte\" data-ce-category=\"In-Content Ads\" data-ce-label=\"Get Your Free Immunotherapy Guide Ad\"><div>\r\n    <div class=\"vque-content\">\r\n        <strong class=\"heading\">Get Your Free Immunotherapy Guide<\/strong>\r\n        <ul>\r\n            <li>When it\u2019s used<\/li>\r\n            <li>Types of drugs<\/li>\r\n            <li>Side effects<\/li>\r\n        <\/ul>\r\n        <p><strong class=\"button arrow\" title=\"Get Your Free Guide\">Get Your Free Guide<\/strong><\/p>\r\n    <\/div>\r\n    <div class=\"image-wrap\"><img decoding=\"async\"  src=\"data:image\/gif;base64,R0lGODlhAQABAAAAACH5BAEKAAEALAAAAAABAAEAAAICTAEAOw==\" data-src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/download-immunotherapy-guide.png\" alt=\"Free Immunotherapy Guide\" class=\"lazyload\" ><\/div>\r\n<\/div><\/a><\/div>\n<h2>Opdivo\u00ae and Yervoy\u00ae: Setting a New Benchmark in Mesothelioma Treatment<\/h2>\n<p>The <em>Open Respiratory Archives<\/em> review noted that a major immunotherapy breakthrough occurred in 2020 with the CheckMate 743 trial. In this trial, the combination of nivolumab (Opdivo\u00ae) and ipilimumab (Yervoy\u00ae) improved survival in mesothelioma patients when used as a first-line treatment.<\/p>\n<p>These medications are <a href=\"\/treatment\/immunotherapy\/checkpoint-inhibitors\/\">immune checkpoint inhibitors<\/a>, which work by blocking proteins that mesothelioma cells use to hide from immune T cells that naturally want to kill cancer.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Patients who received <a href=\"\/treatment\/immunotherapy\/opdivo-yervoy\/\">Opdivo and Yervoy<\/a> had a:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>2-year <a href=\"\/mesothelioma\/prognosis\/survival-rate\/\">survival rate<\/a> of 41%, while chemotherapy patients had a 2-year survival rate of 27%<\/li>\n<li>Median <a href=\"\/mesothelioma\/prognosis\/life-expectancy\/\">life expectancy<\/a> of 18.1 months, compared to 14.1 months for those getting chemotherapy<\/li>\n<li>Overall survival rate of 23%, compared to 15% in the chemotherapy group<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The results of this trial led the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to approve Opdivo and Yervoy as a treatment for <a href=\"\/mesothelioma\/pleural\/\">pleural mesothelioma<\/a> (which forms in the lung lining).<\/p>\n<p>Researchers continue to study Opdivo and Yervoy in treating mesothelioma. Pleural mesothelioma patients who received Yervoy and Opdivo had a progression-free survival of <strong>5.5 months<\/strong> (meaning the cancer stopped growing) in a 2024 study published in <em>Lung Cancer<\/em>.<\/p>\n<p>We can help you find mesothelioma doctors who can determine whether Opdivo, Yervoy, or other immunotherapies could help you live longer. <strong>Use our Free Doctor Match service today.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>Keytruda\u00ae: Another Addition to the Mesothelioma Treatment Toolbox<\/h2>\n<p>In September 2024, the FDA approved another checkpoint inhibitor called <a href=\"\/treatment\/immunotherapy\/keytruda\/\">pembrolizumab (Keytruda\u00ae)<\/a> as a standard treatment for certain cases of pleural mesothelioma.<\/p>\n<div class=\"did-you-know icon-bell\"><style type=\"text\/css\">.did-you-know{background:#F3F2F0;border-radius:10px;margin:40px 0;padding:20px 20px 20px 80px;position:relative}.did-you-know:before{position:absolute;left:20px;top:20px;width:45px;height:45px;background:#0FAEBF;border-radius:50px;color:#fff;text-align:center;line-height:45px;font-size:27px}.did-you-know .heading{font-size:24px;color:#100134;padding:10px 0;display:block;margin:0 0 5px}.did-you-know h2,.did-you-know .h2,.did-you-know h3,.did-you-know .h3{font-size:24px;line-height:1.14}@media screen and (min-width: 1024px){.did-you-know{padding:25px 25px 25px 90px}.did-you-know:before{left:25px;top:25px}.did-you-know .heading{padding:8px 0}.did-you-know h2,.did-you-know .h2,.did-you-know h3,.did-you-know .h3{font-size:24px;line-height:1.14}}<\/style><strong class=\"heading\">Did You Know?<\/strong><p>The KEYNOTE-483 trial showed that Keytruda combined with chemotherapy helped patients achieve a 3-year survival rate of 25%. The 3-year survival rate was 17% in patients who received chemotherapy alone.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Keytruda was also more effective in treating mesothelioma in this study. The response rate (percent of patients whose cancer shrank) was 68% with Keytruda, while with chemotherapy it was just 38%.<\/p>\n<p>In addition, the phase II IND.227 trial from 2023 showed that combining Keytruda with chemotherapy resulted in a median survival of <strong>19.8 months, compared to 8.9 months for chemotherapy alone.<\/strong><\/p>\n<h2>New Immunotherapies for Mesothelioma Show Promise<\/h2>\n<p>Outside of FDA-approved immunotherapies, the <em>Open Respiratory Archives<\/em> review noted that more immunotherapy drugs are being studied in <a href=\"\/treatment\/clinical-trials\/\">mesothelioma clinical trials<\/a>. The success rate of immunotherapy for mesothelioma is high in many of these trials.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Newer immunotherapies in clinical trials include:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Atezolizumab (Tecentriq\u00ae):<\/strong> A 2021 report published in <em>Cancer Discovery<\/em> reported that <a href=\"\/mesothelioma\/peritoneal\/\">peritoneal mesothelioma<\/a> patients treated with Tecentriq had a 1-year survival rate of 85%.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Avelumab (Bavencio\u00ae):<\/strong> A 2023 study noted that patients treated with <a href=\"\/treatment\/immunotherapy\/avelumab\/\">Bavencio<\/a> and radiation lived an average of 1 year. This was a second-line treatment, meaning all the patients had already received treatments, but they had stopped working.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Bevacizumab (Avastin\u00ae):<\/strong> The ongoing BEAT-meso trial is comparing a combination of Avastin, Tecentriq, and <a href=\"\/treatment\/chemotherapy\/\">chemotherapy<\/a> to just Avastin and chemotherapy in treating mesothelioma.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Durvalumab (Imfinzi\u00ae):<\/strong> In the 2021 PrE0505 study, <a href=\"\/treatment\/immunotherapy\/durvalumab\/\">durvalumab (Imfinzi)<\/a> with platinum-based chemotherapy and then follow-up Imfinzi as maintenance therapy resulted in a 1-year survival rate of 70% and an overall survival of 21.1 months.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Tremelimumab (Imjudo\u00ae):<\/strong> In a 2023 Baylor College of Medicine trial, pleural mesothelioma patients lived longer when <a href=\"\/treatment\/immunotherapy\/tremelimumab\/\">Imjudo<\/a> and Imfinzi were used together compared to those treated with only Imfinzi.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The <em>Open Respiratory Archives<\/em> study authors noted that many of these immunotherapies are being used in combination with each other and other mesothelioma treatments for best results.<\/p>\n<h2>Get Help Accessing Mesothelioma Immunotherapies<\/h2>\n<p>Immunotherapy is very effective in extending mesothelioma life expectancy and slowing disease progression, offering better treatment outcomes for patients. Mesothelioma Hope may be able to help you or a loved one access immunotherapy for mesothelioma.<\/p>\n<p><strong>To find out if mesothelioma immunotherapies will be effective in your case:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ol>\n<li>Call <a href=\"tel:+18666088933\" title=\"Click to call (866) 608-8933\" class=\"in-content-tel-link\" data-ce-category=\"Click to Call\" data-ce-label=\"(866) 608-8933\">(866) 608-8933<\/a> to speak to our Patient Advocates and registered nurses.<\/li>\n<li>Tell them about your diagnosis and ask if immunotherapy could help.<\/li>\n<li>Work with our team to connect with <a href=\"\/treatment\/doctors\/\">top mesothelioma doctors<\/a> who use immunotherapy.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div class=\"blockquote-w-image \"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/11\/jenna-tozzi.png\" alt=\"\" \/><blockquote><p>&#8220;My foremost priority is ensuring patients grasp their diagnosis, empowering them to make informed health care decisions.&#8221;<\/p>\n<footer>&ndash;<cite> Jenna Tozzi, RN, Chief Patient Care Advisor for Mesothelioma Hope<\/cite><\/footer><\/blockquote><style type=\"text\/css\">.blockquote-w-image{position:relative;margin:40px auto}.blockquote-w-image blockquote{background:none;border-left:none;padding:25px;margin-top:0;padding-bottom:0;font-size:inherit;line-height:inherit}.blockquote-w-image blockquote footer cite{font-size:inherit}.blockquote-w-image blockquote p{margin-bottom:0}.blockquote-w-image img{width:100px;border:none;border-radius:100%;box-shadow:none;position:relative;margin:0 auto}.blockquote-w-image.alternative{margin:60px auto}.blockquote-w-image.alternative blockquote{padding:25px 25px 25px 80px;padding-bottom:25px;background-color:#E4F4F6}.blockquote-w-image.alternative img{position:absolute;left:20px;top:25px;z-index:1;width:50px;border:1px solid #fff;box-shadow:0 0 10px rgba(34,34,34,0.2);border-radius:100%}.blockquote-w-image.with-border{background:none;border-left:4px solid #0FAEBF}.blockquote-w-image.with-border blockquote{background:none;border-radius:0;padding:10px 25px}.blockquote-w-image.with-border blockquote footer cite{font-size:inherit}.blockquote-w-image blockquote:before{display:none}@media screen and (min-width: 769px){.blockquote-w-image img{position:absolute;left:0;top:0}.blockquote-w-image blockquote{padding:0 25px 0 125px;min-height:90px}}@media screen and (min-width: 1024px){.blockquote-w-image.alternative blockquote{padding-left:105px}.blockquote-w-image.alternative blockquote footer cite{font-size:16px}.entry-content .blockquote-w-image.alternative img{width:60px;left:25px}}<\/style><\/div>\n<p>Reach out for help now or <a href=\"\/mesothelioma-guide\/\">download our Free Immunotherapy Guide<\/a> to learn more about this powerful treatment and if it could help you.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Immunotherapy is a newer treatment method for mesothelioma, and many recent studies have shown it to be highly effective in destroying cancer and improving survival. Mesothelioma immunotherapy boosts the body\u2019s immune response so it can kill more cancer. An April 2024 review of various studies published in the journal Open Respiratory Archives noted the benefits&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":24479,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[118],"tags":[146,67,82,123],"class_list":["post-24509","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-mesothelioma-treatment","tag-immunotherapy","tag-mesothelioma","tag-mesothelioma-immunotherapy","tag-mesothelioma-research"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24509","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/35"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=24509"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24509\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/24479"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=24509"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=24509"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=24509"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}