Evidence map›Paper›PMID 42903807›Full record

ReviewFrontiers in immunology2026

Reprogramming the tumor microenvironment in mesothelioma: from immune suppression to therapeutic opportunity.

Luigi Cerbone, Alessia Garau, Andrea Balossino, Simona Martinotti, Elia Ranzato, Carlo Genova, Valentina Rigo, Stefano Meda, Silvia Ravera, Hector Josè Soto Parra and 7 more

Abstract readReview
In one paragraph

Review in Frontiers in immunology, 2026. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. Not yet cited in PubMed.

0numbers the graph read from it
0cells of the map it votes in
0citing papers in PubMed
–field-weighted citation impact
1 · What the graph read from it

What it found

Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.

The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.

2 · The registry

The trial behind it

Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.

Neither the registry nor the abstract names a trial number. If this is a trial report, that itself is worth knowing.

3 · Its place in the literature

Who cites it

0 citing papers in PubMed.

No citing paper in PubMed yet.

4 · The record

Corrections and comments

PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.

5 · Who and what money

Authors and funding

17 authors.

Luigi Cerbone *SSD Mesotelioma, Melanoma e Tumori Rari, IRCCS AOU SS Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo, Alessandria, Italy.
Alessia Garau *SSD Mesotelioma, Melanoma e Tumori Rari, IRCCS AOU SS Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo, Alessandria, Italy.
Andrea BalossinoUO Tumori Polmonari, Oncologia Medica, AOM - IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy.
Simona MartinottiDiSIT- Dipartimento di Scienze e Innovazione Tecnologica, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Alessandria, Italy.
Elia RanzatoDiSIT- Dipartimento di Scienze e Innovazione Tecnologica, Università del Piemonte Orientale, Alessandria, Italy.
Carlo GenovaUOC Clinica di Oncologia Medica, AOM - IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy.
Valentina RigoUOC Bioterapie, AOM - IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy.
Stefano MedaSC Chirurgia Toracica, IRCCS AOU SS Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo, Alessandria, Italy.
Silvia RaveraSC Malattie Apparato Respiratorio, IRCCS AOU SS Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo, Alessandria, Italy.
Hector Josè Soto ParraUO Oncologia Medica, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Policlinico "G. Rodolico-S. Marco", Catania, Italy.
Maria Carmela PiccirilloSC Sperimentazioni Cliniche, Istituto Nazionale Tumori IRCCS - Fondazione G. Pascale, Napoli, Italy.
Alessandra GurreraUOC Anatomia Patologica, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Policlinico "G. Rodolico-S.Marco", Catania, Italy.
Alberto TerminellaUOC Chirurgia Toracica, Azienda Ospedaliero Universitaria Policlinico "G.Rodolico-S. Marco", Catania, Italy.
Mattia ManittoSC Chirurgia Toracica, AOM - IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy.
Michela Croce *UOC Bioterapie, AOM - IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy.
Simona Coco *UO Tumori Polmonari, Oncologia Medica, AOM - IRCCS Ospedale Policlinico San Martino, Genova, Italy.
Federica Grosso *SSD Mesotelioma, Melanoma e Tumori Rari, IRCCS AOU SS Antonio e Biagio e Cesare Arrigo, Alessandria, Italy.

Funding

No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.

6 · The paper itself

Abstract

Pleural mesothelioma (PM) is a rare and aggressive cancer with limited treatment options and poor prognosis. Unlike other thoracic cancers responding well to immunotherapy, PM typically lacks key predictive biomarkers such as Programmed Death-Ligand 1 (PD-L1) tumor expression. Nonetheless, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have shown clinical activity in PM, particularly in non-epithelioid subtypes. However, only a subset of patients benefits from this approach, and resistance remains a major challenge. A growing body of evidence suggests that tumor microenvironment (TME) plays a central role in shaping this resistance. In PM, the TME is notably immunosuppressive, dominated by regulatory T cells, myeloid-derived suppressor cells, and tumor-associated macrophages. These elements act as a shield against immune activation, limiting the efficacy of ICIs. Novel therapeutic strategies aimed at depleting or modulating suppressive immune populations within the TME are emerging as promising avenues to overcome resistance and enhance the effectiveness of ICIs. In this narrative review, we examine the unique features of the TME in PM, its role in immunotherapy resistance, and emerging strategies aimed at harnessing or remodeling the TME to improve patient outcomes.

Indexed as

MesotheliomaPleural NeoplasmsTumor MicroenvironmentAnimalsDrug Resistance, NeoplasmHumansImmune Checkpoint InhibitorsImmunotherapyMyeloid-Derived Suppressor CellsT-Lymphocytes, RegulatoryTumor-Associated MacrophagesImmune Checkpoint Inhibitorsimmune checkpoint inhibitorsimmune-signaturesmacrophagepleural mesotheliomatumor microenvironment

Identifiers

PMID42903807
PMCPMC13681453

What OpenQuestion holds

Textmetadata
Read underepoch 390

Registered trials

None linked

Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.