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Bongiovanni et al. J Cancer Metastasis Treat 2022;8:44 Journal of Cancer
DOI: 10.20517/2394-4722.2022.78
Metastasis and Treatment

Review Open Access

Immunotherapy in malignant pleural mesothelioma:
a long story ended in success

2,3
1
Alberto Bongiovanni , Antonio Frassoldati , Luana Calabrò 2,3
1
Osteoncology and Rare Tumors Center, IRCCS Istituto Romagnolo per lo Studio dei Tumori (IRST) Dino Amadori, Meldola
47014, Italy.
2
Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital of Ferrara, Ferrara 44121, Italy.
3
Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital of Ferrara, Cona 44124, Italy.
Correspondence to: Dr. Luana Calabrò, MD, Medical Oncology Unit, University Hospital of Ferrara, via Aldo Moro, 8, Cona
44124, Italy. E-mail: luana.calabro@unife.it
How to cite this article: Bongiovanni A, Frassoldati A, Calabrò L. Immunotherapy in malignant pleural mesothelioma: a long story
ended in success. J Cancer Metastasis Treat 2022;8:44. https://dx.doi.org/10.20517/2394-4722.2022.78

Received: 30 Jun 2022 First Decision: 1 Aug 2022 Revised: 13 Aug 2022 Accepted: 23 Sep 2022 Published: 8 Oct 2022

Academic Editor: Robert Arthur Kratzke Copy Editor: Fangling Lan Production Editor: Fangling Lan

Abstract
Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive and rare disease, mainly due to asbestos exposure,
characterized by a poor prognosis. For almost two decades, platinum-based chemotherapy has been the only
approved therapeutic regimen for first-line MPM, with an overall survival of 12 months. In the last years, the
therapeutic scenario of different tumor types, including MPM, has dramatically changed due to immune checkpoint
inhibition. The promising results of this approach have promoted new efforts into clinical research, and many trials
investigating novel therapeutic combinations are currently ongoing. The aim of the present review is to provide a
comprehensive overview of the most promising immunotherapeutic-based strategies currently under investigation
for advanced MPM.

Keywords: Malignant pleural mesothelioma, immunotherapy, immune checkpoint inhibitors, cancer vaccine

INTRODUCTION
Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an aggressive disease that affects the pleural membranes lining
the lungs, characterized by a poor prognosis. Although it is considered a relatively rare tumor, its global rate
increased massively over the last four decades due to asbestos exposure, and its continued slow increase

© The Author(s) 2022. Open Access This article is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0
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