{"id":27833,"date":"2022-09-01T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2022-09-01T04:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/?p=27833"},"modified":"2025-04-28T11:54:00","modified_gmt":"2025-04-28T15:54:00","slug":"new-mesothelioma-treatment-destroys-tumors-in-6-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/blog\/new-mesothelioma-treatment-destroys-tumors-in-6-days\/","title":{"rendered":"New Mesothelioma Treatment Kills Tumors in 6 Days"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Researchers at Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine have developed a groundbreaking cancer treatment that destroyed advanced <a href=\"\/mesothelioma\/\">mesothelioma<\/a> tumors in mice within only 6 days.<\/p>\n<p><strong>The new therapy combines two powerful tools: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Tiny, implantable beads that produce an immune-activating protein called <strong>interleukin 2 (IL-2<\/strong><strong>)<\/strong><\/li>\n<li>A checkpoint inhibitor drug that helps immune cells recognize and destroy cancer<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>The beads are implanted near tumors and release IL-2 locally, helping the immune system fight mesothelioma without the usual side effects of immunotherapy.<\/p>\n<p>These cytokine \u201cdrug factories\u201d implants killed tumors in more than half of the test mice when used alone. When combined with a <a href=\"\/treatment\/immunotherapy\/pd1-and-pdl1-inhibitors\/\">PD-1 checkpoint inhibitor<\/a>,<strong> tumors were completely wiped out in all 7 mice.<\/strong><\/p>\n<p>\u201cWe&#8217;ve not seen these mesothelioma tumors in mice be<strong> eradicated with such efficacy<\/strong> as we have in this mouse model, &#8221; said <a href=\"\/treatment\/doctors\/dr-bryan-burt\/\">Dr. Bryan Burt<\/a>, a thoracic surgeon and study co-lead.<\/p>\n<p>With clinical trials already set for ovarian cancer, clinical testing in mesothelioma patients is expected to follow.<\/p>\n<h2>What Is Interleukin-2?<\/h2>\n<p>IL-2 is part of a group of immune system proteins called <strong>interleukins<\/strong>. These chemical messengers tell immune cells when and where to act.<\/p>\n<p>Interleukin 2 specifically <strong>helps \u201cwake up\u201d and direct T cells to attack infected or cancerous cells<\/strong>. It was the first FDA-approved immunotherapy for cancer, but the high doses required caused dangerous side effects when given through the bloodstream.<\/p>\n<p>The new <a href=\"\/treatment\/\">treatment method<\/a> tested by the Rice-Baylor team solves that problem by delivering IL-2 directly to tumors in much smaller, safer doses.<\/p>\n<p>Get our<strong> Free Mesothelioma Guide <\/strong>to learn more about common symptoms, treatment methods, and top doctors.<\/p>\n<h2>Why This New Therapy Matters for Mesothelioma Patients<\/h2>\n<p>Mesothelioma \u2014 especially the <a href=\"\/mesothelioma\/pleural\/\">pleural type<\/a> that affects the lining of the lungs \u2014 is one of the toughest cancers to treat.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Here\u2019s why this new IL-2 therapy could change that:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Attacks leftover cancer cells: <\/strong>Mesothelioma is hard to remove completely with <a href=\"\/treatment\/surgery\/\">surgery<\/a>. This treatment could help kill any remaining cancer by delivering immunotherapy directly into the chest cavity.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Faster, more effective results:<\/strong> In preclinical tests, tumors disappeared within just 6 days \u2014 far faster than most current therapies.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Fewer side effects: <\/strong>Because the IL-2 \u201cdrug factories\u201d release medication only where it\u2019s needed, patients may avoid the harsh side effects often seen with <a href=\"\/treatment\/chemotherapy\/\">chemotherapy<\/a> or full-body immunotherapy.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Improves immune memory: <\/strong>IL-2 therapy may help train the immune system to recognize mesothelioma if there\u2019s a <a href=\"\/mesothelioma\/prognosis\/remission-recurrence\/\">recurrence<\/a>.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Human trials for the treatment are expected to begin with <a href=\"\/cancer\/ovarian-cancer\/\">ovarian cancer<\/a> later this fall. If successful, mesothelioma could be the next cancer studied in future trials.<\/p>\n<p>Because IL-2 immunotherapy can be delivered using the same chest catheter that many mesothelioma patients already use to drain <a href=\"\/mesothelioma\/pleural\/effusion\/\">pleural effusions<\/a>, it may fit easily into current treatment plans.<\/p>\n<h2>Mesothelioma Hope: Supporting Cancer Patients for 25+ Years<\/h2>\n<p>Mesothelioma Hope has been a trusted source of guidance and support for patients, families, and caregivers for over 25 years.<\/p>\n<p><strong>Our team of nurses and Patient Advocates can help you:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Confirm your diagnosis<\/li>\n<li>Find a <a href=\"\/treatment\/doctors\/\">top mesothelioma doctor<\/a><\/li>\n<li>Understand your treatment options<\/li>\n<li>Pursue <a href=\"\/legal\/compensation\/\">compensation<\/a> to pay for medical care<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Call us now at<strong> <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><\/strong> or request our <a href=\"\/mesothelioma-guide\/\">Free Mesothelioma Guide<\/a> to get started. We\u2019re here to help 24\/7 \u2014 at no cost to you or your family.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Researchers at Rice University and Baylor College of Medicine have developed a groundbreaking cancer treatment that destroyed advanced mesothelioma tumors in mice within only 6 days. The new therapy combines two powerful tools: Tiny, implantable beads that produce an immune-activating protein called interleukin 2 (IL-2) A checkpoint inhibitor drug that helps immune cells recognize and&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":35,"featured_media":27834,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[268],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-27833","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27833","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=27833"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/27833\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/27834"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=27833"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=27833"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mesotheliomahope.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=27833"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}