Treating Unresectable Mesothelioma with Durvalumab and Chemotherapy

Drugs Used in the Trial

Patients will receive the immunotherapy drug, durvalumab, along with standard chemotherapy of pemetrexed and cisplatin. Patients who have a bad reaction with cisplatin may be given carboplatin as a substitute.

Here is some information about each of the drugs in this trial:

Durvalumab – this anti-PD-L1 antibody helps the immune system to detect cancer and to reactivate the immune response. Researchers believe that this drug may help slow down the growth of cancer or it may aide in killing cancer cells.

Pemetrexed – this chemotherapy drug interferes with cell metabolism and stops cells from dividing. Pemetrexed has been used in treatments for malignant mesothelioma and advanced or metastatic nonsquamous non small cell lung cancer.

Cisplatin – this chemotherapy drug works by damaging the DNA of a cell. By doing this, it stops a cell from duplicating. Cisplatin is combined with pemetrexed as first line therapy for mesothelioma.

If a participant in the study is ineligible to use cisplatin due to impaired renal function or is experiencing cisplatin related toxicity, the drug carboplatin will be used instead.

Carboplatin – this drug interferes with the DNA of a cell. By doing this, it prohibits cancer cells to grow. Some cancers that carboplatin has been used to treat are ovarian, lung, bladder, breast, and esophageal.

What to Expect

Participants will be given durvalumab, followed by pemetrexed and then cisplatin on day 1 of a 3 week cycle. If a participant cannot have cisplatin, it will be substituted with carboplatin for the same length of time.

After cycle 6 of treatment, if a participant’s disease is stable and is responding to the therapy, they will be able to continue receiving durvalumab. They will continue receiving treatment with durvalumab every 3 weeks or until their disease progresses. Researchers anticipate that participants will be able to do this for up to 12 months.

Side Effects

Participants in this clinical trial may experience a variety of different types of side effects because of the drugs that are involved in this study. Some side effects may be more severe than others.

Some side effects patients may experience are:

• Fatigue
• Constipation
• Nausea
• Cough
• Loss of appetite

Trial Eligibility

To participate in this clinical trial an individual must have:

• Confirmed malignant pleural mesothelioma
• Unresectable disease
• Not participated in another clinical trial for an investigational drug in the last 4 weeks
• No prior systemic therapy, including chemotherapy

When it comes to finding a clinical trial that is best for you, it is always best to consult your doctor and to talk it over with your loved ones. If you have any questions or need help finding the right clinical trial for you, please contact Jenna Campagna.