Temsirolimus and Cisplatin offer new way of treating malignant pleural mesothelioma

Key points:
- Temsirolimus gives a new way of treating malignant pleural mesothelioma
- Temsirolimus is a kinase inhibitor used to treat advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC)
- The conclusion was published in the Journal of Oncology Reports
- Temsirolimus works against mesothelioma cells by blocking the action of a gene pathway called mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR)
- Temsirolimus can also be used to prevent the formation of blood vessels that are needed to grow a tumor cell
- The study suggested the combined treatment to mesothelioma by using temsirolimus and cisplatin

By PRWeb
A new study published in the journal Oncology Reports and detailed by Surviving Mesothelioma suggests that temsirolimus, a kinase inhibitor used to treat advanced renal cell carcinoma (RCC), may offer a promising new way to treat malignant pleural mesothelioma.

The group studied temsirolimus by itself and in combination with the popular mesothelioma chemotherapy drugs cisplatin or pemetrexed against cell samples from five different mesothelioma cell lines. They then used a series of highly sensitive chemical tests to determine exactly what effect the temsirolimus had on the cells and why.

Temsirolimus appeared to work against the mesothelioma cells in two different ways. By blocking the action of a gene pathway called mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), which is highly expressed in some mesothelioma lines, temsirolimus makes it harder for cancer cells to grow and divide. At the same time, the drug also acts on two other compounds – vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF) – to prevent the formation of blood vessels (angiogenesis) needed to feed a growing tumor.

Although temsirolimus alone inhibited cell viability and suppressed cell proliferation in all of the mesothelioma cell lines tested, combining it with another drug enhanced the effect. “Combined treatment with temsirolimus and cisplatin inhibited the viability of all malignant pleural mesothelioma cell lines more effectively than temsirolimus alone,” the authors report. Noting that temsirolimus fights mesothelioma on two different levels, they suggest that It may give patients an advantage, especially if they have high mTOR expression.

Mesothelioma is a rare but highly-lethal cancer caused almost exclusively by exposure to asbestos. Most people diagnosed with this aggressive malignancy do not live longer than a year after diagnosis. For this reason, researchers around the world are actively testing drugs like temsirolimus that may offer an alternative ways to treat the disease or make current treatments more effective.

The original study on temsirolimus was published in a recent issue of Oncology Reports. (Moriva, M, et al, “Antitumor effect and antiangiogenic potential of the mTOR inhibitor temsirolimus against malignant pleural mesothelioma”, December 30, 2013, Oncology Reports, Epub ahead of print. http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/24378576)

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