Inclusion criteria, exclusion criteria and study summary
Mesothelioma is a relatively uncommon cancer that accounts for 1% of all cancers with an annual death rate in the UK of around 2100. Mesothelioma is different from other cancers as it is driven by the body's inability to deal with asbestos fibres. There is increasing evidence that links particular immune cells (macrophages and other inflammatory cells) with encouraging tumour growth and for this reason the study of mesothelioma may offer new insights into the role of these immune cells in cancers driven by inflammation. Therapy that targets the immune system has established itself as a relevant treatment in an increasing number of cancers with benefit in controlling disease and patient survival. The successful approaches include stimulating immune cells (antibodies) and also vaccination, which has been used in other cancers like colorectal and prostate cancer. Little is known about how and whether events in the immune system affect outcome in mesothelioma. Some steps in the process that cause mesothelioma, like acquisition of proteins that prevent the cancer cells being destroyed by the body have been found. There are also some studies that show mesothelioma may be able to be targeted by the immune system when vaccination against a protein called Wilms-Tumour antigen 1 (WT1) is undertaken. A DNA vaccine against WT1 has been developed in Southampton and is in clinical testing in leukaemia. The identification of specific immune cells that recognise WT1 may provide useful markers for diagnosing mesothelioma and may be used to evaluate how effective a vaccine may be in this disease. This study aims to identify specific immune cells that may be useful as markers in mesothelioma to predict clinical outcome in patients and and identify cells and pathways that may be targeted to treat mesothelioma.
