Dr. Thierry Jahan on CRS-207 With Chemotherapy in Mesothelioma

Thierry Jahan, MD, professor of medicine at the UCSF Helen Diller Family Comprehensive Cancer Center, discusses the combination of the immunotherapy CRS-207 with chemotherapy as a treatment for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). CRS-207 is a strain of Listeria that contains 2 gene deletions to diminish its pathogenicity. The bacterium has also been engineered to express mesothelin, which is expressed on mesothelioma cells.

Mesothelioma is a very difficult disease to treat, says Jahan. Chemotherapy, which is the standard of care, yields between a 20% and 40% response rate, with a median survival of about 1 year.

In a phase Ib study, the combination of CRS-207 with chemotherapy demonstrated a 94% disease control rate and a 59% response rate in patients with MPM, said Jahan. Median progression-free survival was 8.5 months. The combination was well-tolerated, with temperature spikes and rigors as the primary adverse events.

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