Mesothelioma Immunotherapy

Therapeutic protocols involving treatment with immunotherapy have yielded variable results. For example, intrapleural inoculation of bacillus Calmette-Guerin (BCG) in an attempt to boost the immune response, proved to provide no benefit to the patient (while it may improve the condition of patients bladder cancer). It has been proved in vitro that mesothelioma cells were destroyed by lymphocyte cells after activation by theinterleukin-2 (IL-2), but patients undergoing this particular therapy have experienced any major side effects. Indeed, this trial was discontinued because of unacceptable ing high levels of toxicity of IL-2 and severity of side effects such as fever and cachexia. However, other trials using interferon alpha have proved encouraging with 20% of patients with a reduction greater than 50% of the tumor mass combined with minimal side effects.