title: Malignant pleural mesothelioma: new hope in the horizon with novel therapeutic strategies.
abstract: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a rare but aggressive malignancy of the pleura, with a strong causal link to asbestos exposure. MPM incidence has been increasing in recent years and it is not expected to fall off in the next two decades. Prognosis of MPM patients is modest since the vast majority of patients are diagnosed at advanced stage and because platinum-based chemotherapy remains the cornerstone of treatment, with no standard second line treatment. Most current efforts to improve outcomes are based on a better understanding of the stromal compartment and deregulated pathways leading ultimately to the design of clinical trials based on novel therapeutic approaches such as immunotherapy or molecular-directed compounds. This review seeks to update the last clinical trials investigating novel agents in unresectable MPM.
authors.affiliation: Hospital de Mataró, Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: jremon@csdm.cat.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Remon
authors.affiliation: Hospital Clínic, Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: nreguart@clinic.ub.es.
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Reguart
authors.affiliation: Hospital Universitario Vírgen del Rocío, Sevilla, Spain. Electronic address: jesuscorraljaime@hotmail.com.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Corral
authors.affiliation: Hospital de Mataró, Barcelona, Spain. Electronic address: plianes@csdm.cat.
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Lianes
mesh_terms: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D006801:Humans; D008175:Lung Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D008654:Mesothelioma / Q000188:drug therapy*; D000086002:Mesothelioma, Malignant; D010997:Pleural Neoplasms / Q000188:drug therapy*; D011379:Prognosis; D016896:Treatment Outcome
chemical_list: D000970:Antineoplastic Agents
keywords: Chemotherapy; Epidemiology; Immunotherapy; Maintenance; Malignant pleural mesothelioma; Second line