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Y. Mimura-Kimura



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    P1.08 - Poster Session/ Thymoma, Mesothelioma and Other Thoracic Malignancies (ID 224)

    • Event: WCLC 2015
    • Type: Poster
    • Track: Thymoma, Mesothelioma and Other Thoracic Malignancies
    • Presentations: 1
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      P1.08-001 - Rituximab for Treatment of Lymphoma Induced Marked Regression of Malignant Mesothelioma with Dynamic Changes of Serum Cytokine Profiles (ID 1192)

      09:30 - 17:00  |  Author(s): Y. Mimura-Kimura

      • Abstract
      • Slides

      Background:
      Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is a highly aggressive tumor with poor prognosis. As an effective therapy remains to be established, increased attention has been given to immunotherapy in MM.

      Methods:
      We experienced a patient with malignant lymphoma and MM who showed marked regression of MM after the anti-CD20 monoclonal antibody rituximab therapy. Here we investigated the mechanism underlying this response by immunohistochemical staining and serum cytokine assay.

      Results:
      A 78-year-old man with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and epithelioid MM was treated with rituximab for malignant lymphoma. The lymphoma responded well to rituximab, and the pleural thickening of MM regressed markedly after this treatment without therapy for mesothelioma. Immunohistochemical stainings revealed negative expression of CD20 on mesothelioma cells, indicating that rituximab did not directly attack the mesothelioma cells. The serum levels of 27 cytokines were measured 12 days before and 16, 45 and 54 days after this treatment to compare with those in 24 untreated MPM patients. The serum levels of cytokines of this patient including IL-12, INF-g, TNF-a, VEGF and IP-10 were higher than those of other mesothelioma patients before the rituximab treatment. Notably, during the treatment the level of IL-12 increased approximately 10-fold, relative to its baseline level. In addition, the levels of IL-2, Eotaxin, G-CSF, and TNF-a transiently increased several fold as compared with their baseline levels. In contrast, the levels of VEGF, PDGF, IP-10, and IL-8 which are associated with mesothelioma proliferation, decreased after the treatment. These results suggest that the mechanism of mesothelioma regression in this case involves antitumor immunity enhanced with high baseline levels of IL-12 and other Th1 cytokines and B-cell depletion by the rituximab treatment.

      Conclusion:
      The relationship between these cytokine profiles and the clinical outcome might provide a potential immunotherapeutic strategy for MM.

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