Mesothelioma Therapy Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapy 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Mesothelin is a target in mesothelioma because it is:
- Absent on mesothelioma cells
- Overexpressed on mesothelioma cell surfaces (Correct answer)
- A mutation driver
- Present only in blood
Correct answer: Overexpressed on mesothelioma cell surfaces
Mesothelin is highly overexpressed on the surface of mesothelioma cells, making it an attractive target for antibody-based therapies.
Question 2: Amatuximab is an experimental targeted therapy for mesothelioma that targets which protein?
- EGFR
- VEGFR
- Mesothelin (Correct answer)
- PD-L1
Correct answer: Mesothelin
Amatuximab is a chimeric anti-mesothelin monoclonal antibody being investigated as a targeted therapy for mesothelin-expressing mesothelioma.
Question 3: CAR-T cell therapy in mesothelioma research primarily targets which antigen?
- HER2
- Mesothelin (Correct answer)
- CD19
- EGFR
Correct answer: Mesothelin
CAR-T cell therapies for mesothelioma are primarily engineered to target mesothelin, which is abundantly expressed on mesothelioma cells.
Question 4: Pembrolizumab targets which checkpoint molecule?
- CTLA-4
- PD-1 (Correct answer)
- PD-L1
- LAG-3
Correct answer: PD-1
Pembrolizumab is a PD-1 inhibitor that blocks the PD-1 receptor, preventing tumor cells from suppressing T-cell activity.
Question 5: Avelumab differs from nivolumab and pembrolizumab in that it targets:
- PD-1 on T cells
- PD-L1 on tumor cells (Correct answer)
- CTLA-4 on T cells
- VEGF in circulation
Correct answer: PD-L1 on tumor cells
Avelumab is an anti-PD-L1 antibody that targets the PD-L1 ligand on tumor cells, rather than the PD-1 receptor on T cells.
Question 6: Which targeted mutation makes some mesothelioma patients potentially eligible for PARP inhibitor therapy?
- KRAS mutation
- BAP1 mutation (loss of function) (Correct answer)
- EGFR mutation
- ALK rearrangement
Correct answer: BAP1 mutation (loss of function)
Loss-of-function mutations in BAP1 may create a homologous recombination deficiency, potentially sensitizing tumors to PARP inhibitors.
Mesothelioma Therapy Immunotherapy and Targeted Therapy 2
Mesothelin is a target in mesothelioma because it is: