A Phase 3 trial in relapsed mesothelioma patients showed a significant improvement in overall survival and progression-free survival when patients were treated with nivolumab. Nivolumab is an immunotherapeutic agent that works by blocking the tumor’s ability to disengage the immune system effectively enabling the patient’s own immune system to attack the cancer. Nivolumab is commercially known under the brand name of Opdivo.
The CONFIRM study was a randomized trial that compared a nivolumab arm against a placebo arm. The trial was run in 24 centers in the United Kingdom and it enrolled 332 patients who were previously treated in a first-line setting. Patients were randomly assigned to each arm and stratified by cell type of mesothelioma (epitheliod vs. nonepithelioid). The epitheliod-type patients appeared to benefit most from this treatment.
The study was led by Dr. Dean Fennell, professor and chair of Thoracic Medical Oncology at the University of Leicester. Dr. Fennell indicated that nivolumab administered as a single agent is a safe and effective treatment option for malignant mesothelioma and should be considered as a new treatment option.
The official name of this study is CheckpOiNt Blockade For Inhibition of Relapsed Mesothelioma (CONFIRM): A Phase III Double-Blind, Placebo Controlled Trial to Evaluate the Efficacy of Nivolumab in Relapsed Mesothelioma.
This news comes on the heels of the October 2020 FDA-approval of combination treatment of nivolumab + ipilimumab in a first-line treatment setting.
The Mesothelioma Applied Research Foundation is the only 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization working to eradicate mesothelioma and end this national tragedy. Its programs include the funding of promising and peer-reviewed research, education, support and advocacy. The organization strives to bring together thought leaders in the field to identify the most direct path to a cure.
