Mesothelioma is a rare cancer of the lining of the lungs or abdomen, mostly caused by asbestos, with about 3,000 US cases a year. Immunotherapy has replaced chemotherapy as a first option for many. The first targeted pills are now reaching larger trials.
- 140studies open or running
- 3phase 3 trials
- 612papers published this year
- 40NIH-funded projects
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Now
Nov 2026
Immunotherapy doubles 5-year survivalHappened 14% alive at 5 years
Nivolumab plus ipilimumab: 14% alive at 5 years vs 6% with chemotherapy.
14%: alive at 5 years with nivolumab plus ipilimumab, vs 6%.
Arginine starvation for harder subtypesHappened +1.6 mo median survival
Pegargiminase with chemotherapy extended median survival from 7.7 to 9.3 months.
+1.6 mo: median survival gain: 9.3 vs 7.7 months.
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6 months
by May 2027
TEAD pills move to phase 3Possible 26% tumors shrank
Vivace has registered a 350-person phase 3 of VT3989 with gemcitabine for epithelioid mesothelioma.
26%: of 47 people with mesothelioma had tumors shrink.
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12 months
by Nov 2027
Immunotherapy after surgeryPossible
AtezoMeso, a 162-person placebo-controlled trial of atezolizumab after surgery, is due July 2027.
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3 years
by late 2029
A two-in-one immune antibodyPossible
AstraZeneca's 863-person eVOLVE-Meso trial of volrustomig with chemotherapy finishes November 2028.
First targeted pill resultLong shot 26% tumors shrank
Phase 3 results for VT3989 are expected around 2028.
26%: of 47 people with mesothelioma had tumors shrink.
-
5 years
by late 2031
CAR T cells for solid tumorsLong shot
Memorial Sloan Kettering is engineering CAR T cells to survive inside mesothelioma and similar tumors.
The research paths
Targeted pills (TEAD)
26% tumors shrankDetailsHide
Blocks the Hippo pathway switch broken in most mesotheliomas.
WatchsTEADfast phase 3.
Immunotherapy
14% alive at 5 yearsDetails and 4 trialsHide
New antibodies and earlier use after surgery.
WatcheVOLVE-Meso and AtezoMeso.
- Volrustomig with chemotherapy (eVOLVE-Meso)AstraZeneca · 863 people · fully enrolled Nov 2028
- Atezolizumab after surgery (AtezoMeso)GOIRC · 162 people · enrolling Jul 2027
- Fianlimab with cemiplimabIFCT · 126 people · enrolling May 2028
- Atezolizumab for peritoneal mesotheliomaNational Cancer Institute · 66 people · enrolling Aug 2027
Borrowed from other cancers
From Liver cancer and melanoma research
Pegargiminase
Phase 3 positive
An enzyme that starves tumors unable to make their own arginine.
From Melanoma
Fianlimab
Phase 2
A LAG-3 antibody being tested with cemiplimab.
Open to join now
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After surgery, Italy
Atezolizumab after surgery
Locations and eligibility → -
Peritoneal mesothelioma
Atezolizumab with chemotherapy
Locations and eligibility → -
Pleural, France
Fianlimab with cemiplimab
Locations and eligibility →
See every recruiting Mesothelioma trial →
When the trials finish
Completion dates the trials registered. Results usually follow 3 to 12 months later.
- Heating up
- Maturing
- Early
- Cooling
- Fully enrolled, waiting on results
- Still enrolling
Knowledge on the way
Not treatments yet: detection, causes and how care is delivered. Mostly NIH-funded.
- AreaQuestionFunded throughNews likely
- Cell therapy CAR T cells that resist the tumor environmentMemorial Sloan Kettering · NIH Funded through Jul 2029 News likely 2029+
What just happened
CheckMate 743: 14% alive at 5 years
vs 6% with chemotherapy.
VT3989 shrinks tumors in 26%
Nature Medicine.
Standard treatment today
- Pleural, cannot be removedNivolumab plus ipilimumab, or pembrolizumab with chemotherapy.
- Pleural, removableSurgery with chemotherapy at specialist centers; benefit is debated.
- Peritoneal (abdomen)Cytoreductive surgery with heated chemotherapy (HIPEC) when possible.
- After first treatmentChemotherapy or a clinical trial; no second-line drug is specifically approved.
How to read this page, and sourcesHow to read this page, and sources
- Results mostly come from pleural mesothelioma; peritoneal mesothelioma has fewer trials.
- Forecasts are editorial judgments by Find a Trial, not predictions from sponsors or regulators.
See Mesothelioma trials recruiting now →