Title:Therapeutic Strategies to Improve the Treatment of Pleural
Mesothelioma
Volume: 31
Author(s): Luca Mirra, Giovanni L. Beretta, Daniela Lisini, Angela Marcianti, Eleonora Spampinato, Cristina Corno, Matteo Costantino, Angelo Corsico, Giulia Maria Stella and Paola Perego*
Affiliation:
- Molecular Pharmacology Unit, Fondazione IRCCS Istituto Nazionale dei Tumori, Milan, Italy
Keywords:
Pleural mesothelioma, pleural mesothelioma therapeutic approaches, drug resistance, genomic alterations, BRCA1-associated protein 1, apoptosis, nanodelivery.
Abstract: Pleural mesothelioma is a rare neoplastic disease with aggressive features. Patient survival is poor due to the lack of early symptoms and the absence of effective therapeutic strategies. The development of pleural mesothelioma is mainly associated with
asbestos exposure and related chronic inflammation. From a molecular-based perspective, this disease is a heterogeneous tumor lacking actionable alterations. The median
overall survival of patients affected by this tumor does not exceed 16 months from diagnosis. Molecular and biochemical approaches have shown that this disease is characterized by resistance to drug-induced apoptosis associated with the activation of cell survival pathways and expression of anti-apoptotic proteins. Thus, there is an urgent need to
develop efficient and safe therapeutic strategies. Here, we review the pharmacological
options available for the treatment of this disease with specific reference to the antitumor agents used in systemic therapies. In addition, novel pharmacological approaches,
such as drug delivery tools, to improve pleural mesothelioma treatment are discussed.
