Emerging Therapies for Malignant Mesothelioma

Finding novel treatment targets for malignant mesothelioma (MM), a solid tumor inherently resistant to most currently available therapies and associated with the lowest survival rates of any major cancer type, has become the subject of an increasing number of translational studies in recent years. While little or no progress was noted since the adoption of the current standard of care in the early 2000s, the scientific community is now confronted with an increasing number of translational and early clinical studies showing effective treatment targets as well as promising drug candidates. As seen earlier in other areas of oncology, the MM community is paying increasing attention to novel immunotherapy approaches, including studies with inhibitors of immune checkpoints, immunotoxins, vaccines, and CAR T-cells. In addition, a novel form of gene therapy, microRNA replacement, has shown signs of clinical efficacy. In this collection of articles, an update on new approaches to treating MM will be provided. We will discuss the most promising developments starting with descriptions of MM biology and carcinogenesis, drug screening in cell culture and the immune-suppressive environment of MM followed by articles describing the recent journey exploring multiple immunotherapy approaches. Together, these will provide a state-of-the-art collection on the latest approaches to MM biology and treatment as we look ahead to a time when experimental approaches reach the clinic.