Pembrolizumab Plus Lenvatinib In Second Line and Third Line Malignant Pleural mesotheLioma Patients

Summary

There is no standard second line treatment in malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Pembrolizumab has shown to be active in in small phase II studies in MPM. Its activity however, is limited, with a response rate up to 20%. Since the arrival of nivolumab plus ipilimumab as first line standard of care treatment in mesothelioma, no treatment options are investigated in this group of patients in the second line. So, there is a need for new treatment combinations with drugs that might exhibit a synergistic interaction with pembrolizumab.

Timeline

Start

2021-03-01

Primary completion

2024-12-05

Completion

2026-03-05

Outcome

Met primary endpoint

paper This study met its primary endpoint, showing high clinical activity of pembrolizumab plus lenvatinib PMID 41308680 ↗

Publications

• Douma LH, van der Noort V, Lalezari F, de Vries JF, Monkhorst K, Smesseim I, Baas P, Schilder B, Vermeulen M, Burgers JA, de Gooijer CJ. Pembrolizumab plus lenvatinib as second-line treatment in patients with pleural mesothelioma (PEMMELA): cohort 2 of a single-arm, phase 2 study. Lancet Oncol. 2025 Dec;26(12):1676-1684. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(25)00514-5.
• Douma LH, Lalezari F, van der Noort V, de Vries JF, Monkhorst K, Smesseim I, Baas P, Schilder B, Vermeulen M, Burgers JA, de Gooijer CJ. Pembrolizumab plus lenvatinib in second-line and third-line patients with pleural mesothelioma (PEMMELA): a single-arm phase 2 study. Lancet Oncol. 2023 Nov;24(11):1219-1228. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(23)00446-1. Epub 2023 Oct 13.

Drugs

Indications