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Explore Our Research Highlights
Could MARS treatment affect survival rates?
This article looks at a major surgery called MARS (Mesothelioma and Radical Surgery), which removes the tumor and affected tissue. A recent study (the MARS-2 trial) questioned whether this surgery helps patients live longer. Mesothelioma experts from around the world raise concerns about how the study was done and explain why they believe surgery should still be part of mesothelioma care. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2024.
Freezing tumors using cryoablation
This study looks at cryoablation, a treatment that freezes and destroys cancer cells, and finds it may be a safe and effective option for people whose mesothelioma has returned. Vasc Interv Radiol. 2017 Feb.
Immunotherapy before surgery
Looks at using immune-based treatments before surgery to see if it could improve outcomes for people with malignant pleural mesothelioma. Clin Cancer Res. 2023.
How doctors are using tumor-treating fields
A study across multiple hospitals reviewing how a treatment called Tumor-Treating Fields is being used for patients diagnosed with mesothelioma. Curr Oncol. 2023.
Additional Mesothelioma Publications
Surgical approaches and staging
- Experts propose a standard approach to mesothelioma surgery: Recommends a consistent, evidence-based method for surgery to improve care for patients across treatment centers. J Thorac Oncol. 2019 Aug.
- Using laparoscopy to better understand mesothelioma: Shows that a minimally invasive procedure called laparoscopy can help doctors more accurately see how far mesothelioma has spread—leading to better treatment planning. Ann Thorac Surg. 2021.
- Comparing two surgical options for mesothelioma: Finds that a less aggressive surgery (pleurectomy/decortication) may lead to better outcomes than a more extensive procedure in some patients with pleural mesothelioma. Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2023
Immunotherapy
- Gene therapy helps immunotherapy work better in mesothelioma: Explores how a new type of gene therapy could make immune-based treatments more effective in people with mesothelioma. Clin Cancer Res. 2025 Apr 10.
- How the immune system and tumor proteins may guide future treatments: Examines the relationship between the immune system and tumor proteins, which could lead to more personalized therapies. JCI Insight. 2018 Apr 5.
- Expanding treatment options for inoperable mesothelioma: Explores how immunotherapy is helping patients with pleural mesothelioma who are not eligible for surgery. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2023.
- Boosting the immune system to fight mesothelioma: Tests tiny “factories” that release IL2, a protein that can help the immune system attack mesothelioma tumors directly. Clin Cancer Res. 2022.
- Improving response to immunotherapy: Examines how blocking certain cell signals (CDK4/6) may help make immunotherapy more effective in treating mesothelioma. Ann Thorac Surg. 2022.
Biomarkers and prognostic tools
- Blood test may help detect if mesothelioma returns after surgery: Looks at how a specific blood marker, mesothelin, could be used to monitor patients after treatment. Ann Thorac Surg. 2017 Nov.
- Blood marker may help predict treatment success: Explores how a protein found in the blood (SMRP) might help predict how well patients respond to immunotherapy for mesothelioma. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2024.
- Gene patterns that help forecast outcomes: Identifies genetic patterns that could help doctors estimate how mesothelioma and lung cancer patients may respond to treatment. NPJ Precis Oncol. 2024.
- Combining data for better predictions: Shows that using both genetic and clinical information together can give a clearer picture of a patient’s prognosis. Br J Cancer. 2022.
- Protein levels and surgical outcomes: Shows that levels of a protein called PD-L1 might help predict how well patients do after surgery for mesothelioma. Ann Thorac Surg. 2021.
Targeted therapy
- Targeted treatment for certain mesothelioma patients: Tests a drug called Tazemetostat in patients whose mesothelioma came back or didn’t respond to treatment. The drug works by blocking a protein that helps cancer grow, and may be especially helpful for patients with a gene change called BAP1. Zauderer MG, Szlosarek PW, Le Moulec S, et al. Lancet Oncol. 2022.
- New drug shows promise for aggressive mesothelioma: Studies a drug that blocks a key nutrient used by cancer cells, helping chemotherapy work better in more severe cases of mesothelioma. ATOMIC-Meso Study Group.JAMA Oncol. 2024 Apr 1.
Radiation
- Precise radiation therapy may improve tumor control: Finds that tomotherapy, a targeted form of radiation, can help limit tumor spread and reduce side effects. Pract Radiat Oncol. 2015 Nov-Dec.
Reviews and commentaries
- Understanding malignant pleural mesothelioma: Offers a clear overview of mesothelioma—what it is, how it’s treated, and what research is being done to improve care in the future.Thorac Surg Clin. 2020.
- Overview of current treatments and future directions for mesothelioma: Provides a broad look at how mesothelioma is currently treated and what promising options are being developed. J Thorac Oncol. 2018 Nov.
- Early clinical trials explore new therapies for mesothelioma: Summarizes the latest experimental treatments being tested to offer more options for patients. Cancer Manag Res. 2015 Jan 23.
- Tumor thickness may help predict how mesothelioma will progress: Discusses how measuring the thickness of the tumor lining in the chest can help doctors estimate outcomes. J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2019 Jan.
- New imaging guidelines aim to improve research and care: Outlines expert recommendations for using imaging like CT and MRI more consistently in clinical trials for mesothelioma. J Thorac Oncol. 2019 Oct.
- Image-guided procedures offer new ways to treat lung tumors: Reviews less invasive treatment options like ablation, which use heat or cold to destroy tumors without surgery. J Thorac Imaging. 2019 Jul.
UCLA Faculty Mesothelioma Publications by Date
Loss of tumor suppressor NF2 mediates resistance to CAR T cell and anti-PD-1 therapy: Strategies to restore immunotherapy sensitivity (Med. 2026 Jul 10)
The Society of Thoracic Surgeons 2026 Expert Consensus on the Multimodal Treatment of Pleural Mesothelioma (Ann Thorac Surg. 2026 Jul)
Ad-SGE-DKK3 Gene Therapy Overcomes Resistance to Immune Checkpoint Blockade in Pleural Mesothelioma (Clin Cancer Res. 2025 Jul)
Going to MARS may shorten our patient's survival (J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2025 Jun)
Soluble mesothelin-related peptide as a prognosticator in pleural mesothelioma patients receiving checkpoint immunotherapy (J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2025 Apr)
Intratumoral immune triads are required for immunotherapy-mediated elimination of solid tumors (Cancer Cell. 2024 Jul 8)
Pegargiminase Plus First-Line Chemotherapy in Patients With Nonepithelioid Pleural Mesothelioma: The ATOMIC-Meso Randomized Clinical Trial (JAMA Oncol. 2024 Apr 1)
NCCN Guidelines® Insights: Mesothelioma: Pleural, Version 1.2024 (J Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2024 Mar)
Mesothelioma: Peritoneal, Version 2.2023, NCCN Clinical Practice Guidelines in Oncology (J Natl Compr Canc Netw. 2023 Sep)
Multi-Institutional Patterns of Use of Tumor-Treating Fields for Patients with Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (Curr Oncol. 2023 May 23)
Pleurectomy and decortication are associated with better survival for bicavitary cytoreductive surgery for mesothelioma compared with extrapleural pneumonectomy (J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2023 May)
The Impact of Adjuvant Hemithoracic Radiation on Outcomes in Patients With Stage I-III Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma: A Dual Registry Analysis (Ann Surg. 2023 Mar 1)
Clonal gene signatures predict prognosis in mesothelioma and lung adenocarcinoma (NPJ Precis Oncol. 2024 Feb 23)
A Phase II Window of Opportunity Study of Neoadjuvant PD-L1 versus PD-L1 plus CTLA-4 Blockade for Patients with Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (Clin Cancer Res. 2023 Feb 1)
Activation of Adaptive and Innate Immune Cells via Localized IL2 Cytokine Factories Eradicates Mesothelioma Tumors (Clin Cancer Res. 2022 Dec)
A combination of intrinsic and extrinsic features improves prognostic prediction in malignant pleural mesothelioma (Br J Cancer. 2022 Nov)
Inhibition of Cyclin Dependent Kinase 4/6 Overcomes Primary Resistance to Programmed Cell Death 1 Blockade in Malignant Mesothelioma (Ann Thorac Surg. 2022 Nov)
EZH2 inhibitor tazemetostat in patients with relapsed or refractory, BAP1-inactivated malignant pleural mesothelioma: a multicentre, open-label, phase 2 study (Lancet Oncol. 2022 Jun)
Society for Immunotherapy of Cancer (SITC) clinical practice guideline on immunotherapy for the treatment of lung cancer and mesothelioma (J Immunother Cancer. 2022 May)
Diagnostic Laparoscopy Improves Staging of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma With Routine Positron Emission Tomography Imaging (Ann Thorac Surg. 2021 Nov)
Prognostic Role of Programmed Cell Death 1 Ligand 1 in Resectable Pleural Mesothelioma (Ann Thorac Surg. 2021 Nov)
Therapeutic Synergy in Esophageal Cancer and Mesothelioma Is Predicted by Dynamic BH3 Profiling (Mol Cancer Ther. 2021 Aug)
The Role of Neoadjuvant Chemotherapy in Patients With Resectable Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma-An Institutional and National Analysis (J Natl Cancer Inst. 2020 Nov 1)
Preoperative prediction of unresectability in malignant pleural mesothelioma (J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2020 Jun)
Fast, Low-Dose Megavoltage-Topogram Localization on TomoTherapy: Initial Clinical Experience With Mesothelioma Patients (Pract Radiat Oncol. 2019 Sep-Oct)
Radiologic Considerations and Standardization of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma Imaging Within Clinical Trials (J Thorac Oncol. 2019 Oct)
Current and Future Management of Malignant Mesothelioma (J Thorac Oncol. 2018 Nov)
A Phase I Trial of Surgical Resection and Intraoperative Hyperthermic Cisplatin and Gemcitabine for Pleural Mesothelioma (J Thorac Oncol. 2018 Sep)
Comprehensive immunoproteogenomic analyses of malignant pleural mesothelioma (JCI Insight. 2018 Apr 5)
Soluble Mesothelin-Related Peptides to Monitor Recurrence After Resection of Pleural Mesothelioma (Ann Thorac Surg. 2017 Nov)
Percutaneous Cryoablation for the Treatment of Recurrent Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma: Safety, Early-Term Efficacy, and Predictors of Local Recurrence (J Vasc Interv Radiol. 2017 Feb)
Malignant pleural mesothelioma and the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Database: an analysis of surgical morbidity and mortality (J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2014 Jul)
Clinical indications and results after chest wall resection for recurrent mesothelioma (J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2013 Dec)
Intraoperative hyperthermic chemotherapy perfusion for malignant pleural mesothelioma: an in vitro evaluation (J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2013 Feb)
Expression of interleukin-4 receptor alpha in human pleural mesothelioma is associated with poor survival and promotion of tumor inflammation (Clin Cancer Res. 2012 Mar 15)
Circulating and tumor-infiltrating myeloid cells predict survival in human pleural mesothelioma (Cancer. 2011 Nov 15)
Extrapleural pneumonectomy is the preferred surgical management in the multimodality therapy of pleural mesothelioma: con argument (Ann Surg Oncol. 2007 Apr)
Interleukin-4 receptor cytotoxin as therapy for human malignant pleural mesothelioma xenografts (J Thorac Surg. 2004 Aug)
Radical pleurectomy/decortication and intraoperative radiotherapy followed by conformal radiation with or without chemotherapy for malignant pleural mesothelioma (J Thorac Cardiovasc Surg. 2002 Dec)
Resection and IORT followed by three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy with or without adjuvant chemotherapy for malignant mesothelioma (Front Radiat Ther Oncol. 1997)