Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a cancer with aggressive nature
and poor prognosis (the median survival ranges from 9-18 months). The worldwide
incidence of this disease is increasing, with 2180 estimated new cases diagnosed in the
United States in 2013. Despite the apparent benefits offered by the multimodal
approach (a combination of surgery, chemotherapy -cisplatin/ pemetrexed- and
radiotherapy), survival remains poor. As a consequence, multiple therapies aiming to
improve the evolution of the disease are under investigation. In this chapter, we will
summarize some of the new preclinical and early clinical developments in the treatment
of MPM, which include mesothelin specific antibody and toxin therapies, gene therapy,
interleukin-4 (IL-4) receptor toxins and dendritic cell vaccines, among others.
Keywords: Activation of invasion, Activation of metastasis, Angiogenesis
induction, Avoiding immune destruction, Cancer therapy, Chemotherapy,
Cryotherapy, Dendritic cells vaccine, Deregulating cellular metabolism, Enabling
replicative immortality, Evading growth suppressors, Genome instability,
mutations and epigenetic dysregulation, Intraoperative hyperthermic
chemotherapy, Iodine-povidone lavage, Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM),
Photodynamic therapy, Radiotherapy, Resisting cell death, Surgical treatment, Sustaining proliferative signaling, Tumor promoting inflammation, Vaccines and
immunotherapy.
