Editors Choice
EURACAN/IASLC Proposals for Updating the Histologic Classification of Pleural Mesothelioma: Towards a More Multidisciplinary Approach
Molecular and immunologic breakthroughs are transforming the management of thoracic cancer, although advances have not been as marked for malignant pleural mesothelioma where pathologic diagnosis has been essentially limited to three histologic subtypes.Neoantigenic Potential of Complex Chromosomal Rearrangements in Mesothelioma
Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a disease primarily associated with exposure to the carcinogen asbestos. Whereas other carcinogen-related tumors are associated with a high tumor mutation burden, mesothelioma is not. We sought to resolve this discrepancy.Programmed Death 1 Blockade With Nivolumab in Patients With Recurrent Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) has limited treatment options and a poor outcome. Programmed death 1/programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) checkpoint inhibitors have proven efficacious in several cancer types. Nivolumab is a fully humanized monoclonal antibody against programmed death 1 with a favorable toxicity profile. In MPM, the immune system is considered to play an important role. We therefore tested nivolumab in recurrent MPM.A Phase I Trial of Surgical Resection and Intraoperative Hyperthermic Cisplatin and Gemcitabine for Pleural Mesothelioma
The primary objective of this single-institution phase I clinical trial was to establish the maximum tolerated dose of gemcitabine added to cisplatin and delivered as heated intraoperative chemotherapy after resection of malignant pleural mesothelioma.Revised Modified Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors for Assessment of Response in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (Version 1.1)
Malignant pleural mesothelioma poses unique difficulties in tumor measurement and response assessment; however, robust and reproducible assessment of response is critically important in the conduct, interpretation, and reporting of clinical trials.Progress in the Management of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma in 2017
Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is an uncommon, almost universally fatal, asbestos-induced malignancy. New and effective strategies for diagnosis, prognostication, and treatment are urgently needed. Herein we review the advances in MPM achieved in 2017. Whereas recent epidemiological data demonstrated that the incidence of MPM-related death continued to increase in United States between 2009 and 2015, new insight into the molecular pathogenesis and the immunological tumor microenvironment of MPM, for example, regarding the role of BRCA1 associated protein 1 and the expression programmed death receptor ligand 1, are highlighting new potential therapeutic strategies.The Immune Microenvironment, Genome-wide Copy Number Aberrations, and Survival in Mesothelioma
Results of recent clinical studies of immune checkpoint inhibitors in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) have dampened initial enthusiasm. However, the immune environment and targets of these treatments such as programmed cell death protein 1 and its ligand programmed death ligand 1 (PD-L1) have not been well characterized in MPM. Using a large cohort of patients, we investigated PD-L1 expression, immune infiltrates, and genome-wide copy number status and correlated them to clinicopathological features.Improving the Accuracy of Mesothelioma Diagnosis in China
In the Western world, malignant mesothelioma (MM) is most prevalent in the pleura of older males who have been professionally exposed to asbestos. Information about MM from rapidly industrializing countries such as China is minimal. There is concern that a proportion of MM diagnoses in China may be incorrect because most Chinese physicians do not have experience diagnosing this rare cancer. We recently reported an unusually high incidence of peritoneal MM among eastern Chinese female patients. Here, we review the accuracy of MM diagnoses in China and provide suggestions to improve the accuracy of diagnosis.The IASLC Mesothelioma Staging Project: Proposals for Revisions of the T Descriptors in the Forthcoming Eighth Edition of the TNM Classification for Pleural Mesothelioma
The current T component for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) has been predominantly informed by surgical data sets and consensus. The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer undertook revision of the seventh edition of the staging system for MPM with the goal of developing recommendations for the eighth edition.The IASLC Mesothelioma Staging Project: Proposals for Revisions of the N Descriptors in the Forthcoming Eighth Edition of the TNM Classification for Pleural Mesothelioma
Nodal categories for malignant pleural mesothelioma are derived from the lung cancer staging system and have not been adequately validated. The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer developed a multinational database to generate evidence-based recommendations to inform the eighth edition of the TNM classification of malignant pleural mesothelioma.The IASLC Mesothelioma Staging Project: Proposals for the M Descriptors and for Revision of the TNM Stage Groupings in the Forthcoming (Eighth) Edition of the TNM Classification for Mesothelioma
The M component and TNM stage groupings for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) have been empirical. The International Association for the Study of Lung Cancer developed a multinational database to propose evidence-based revisions for the eighth edition of the TNM classification of MPM.Plasma Biomarker Enrichment of Clinical Prognostic Indices in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
Prognostic models for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) are needed to prevent potentially futile outcomes. We combined MPM plasma biomarkers with validated clinical prognostic indices to determine whether stratification of risk for death in 194 patients with MPM improved.The 2015 World Health Organization Classification of Tumors of the Pleura: Advances since the 2004 Classification
A new World Health Organization (WHO) Classification of Tumors of the Pleura has recently been published. While the histologic classification of pleural malignant mesothelioma remains the same in the 2015 WHO classification as it was in the 2004 classification, multiple new observations have been recorded. First, more detailed study has been performed of histologic subtyping of epithelioid mesothelioma. In particular, it has been recognized that the pleomorphic subtype is associated with a poor prognosis, similar to that of sarcomatoid malignant mesothelioma.
