Clinical trial evaluates T-cell therapy for advanced mesothelin-expressing cancers
Superresolution image of a group of killer T cells (green and red) surrounding a cancer cell (blue, center). Photo courtesy of NCI Visuals Online
Patients with advanced mesothelin-expressing solid tumors may be eligible to participate in a new clinical trial at the NIH Clinical Center.
Mesothelin is a protein found on the surface of normal, healthy cells that may help the cells stick together and send signals. Some cancer cells express a higher-than-normal amount of mesothelin, which makes them more likely to multiply and spread to other parts of the body. Raffit Hassan, M.D., of the Thoracic and GI Malignancies Branch, is leading a trial that tests T-cell immunotherapy for patients with cancer of the lung and its lining, ovarian cancer and bile duct cancer that express high levels of mesothelin. This therapy harnesses a patient’s T cells, altered to recognize mesothelin, with the aim of attacking cancer cells. For more information about this and more clinical trials, click here.
Source: ccr.cancer.gov
