Mesothelioma Law Blog

Mesothelioma Treatment Improved with the Addition of Tomudex to Cisplatin Therapy

A recent scientific study found improvement in median overall survival with the addition of Tomudex (raltitrexed) to a cisplatin treatment plan for pleural mesothelioma.

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer almost exclusively caused by asbestos exposure. Because there is no cure for this disease, the mesothelioma life expectancy for most patients ranges between four and 18 months after diagnosis, hence the reason for advancing research on this condition.

Tomudex (raltitrexed) is an injectable cytotoxic medication used to treat different forms of cancer. The medication belongs to a group of cancer-fighting drugs called antineoplastics. Tomudex combats cancer by preventing cancer cell growth, which in time leads to their elimination.

In the study one group was treated with cisplatin alone and another group was treated with both cisplatin and Tomudex. The overall response rate for the Tomudex-treated group was higher than the cisplatin group, 23.6 percent and 13.6 percent, respectively. Tomudex was shown to improve median overall survival by 2.8 months and Tomudex was associated with improved progression-free survival.

Professor J.P. van Meerbeeck (professor of Thoracic Oncology at Ghent University, Belgium) said, “Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a hard to treat, rare cancer with a poor prognosis. New treatment options such as a combination of cisplatin and raltitrexed, which improve patient outcomes with no detrimental effect on quality of life as compared to cisplatin alone are a welcome addition to our therapeutic portfolio.”

Chemotherapy drugs for mesothelioma patients have included but are not limited to cisplatin, onconase, carboplatin, gemcitabine, navelbine and pemetrexed (Alimta). In some cases, such medications have been noted to stall the progression of mesothelioma tumors. But when chemotherapy is combined with surgery or radiation therapy, which is known as multimodality therapy, the cancer-fighting effects are often improved.

Tomudex is currently licensed for the treatment of pleural mesothelioma in Portugal, Czech Republic and Hungary. Additional licensing is expected across Europe in late 2010.

Additional information on mesothelioma may be found through the Mesothelioma Center.

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Breakthrough Treatment for Mesothelioma Discovered by Australian Oncologist

Mesothelioma sufferers in Australia and around the globe may soon see an increased life expectancy, thanks to a breakthrough in the treatment of this aggressive asbestos cancer.

Dr. Malcom Feigen, a radiation oncologist at the Austin Health Centre in Victoria, has been deeply involved with developing new techniques for mesothelioma for the past seven years. Recently, he has been part of a team that discovered a new radiation technique that shows great promise for patients with mesothelioma.

The treatment consists of surgery in most cases, followed by high doses of radiotherapy; according to Feigen, it has improved patients’ life expectancy by an average of two years. Currently, the average life expectancy after a mesothelioma diagnosis is 18 months.

“We’ve been very impressed that in most cases there’s a considerable improvement in the activity of the tumor masses that we’ve given high doses of radiotherapy,” said Feigen. He also explained that the results of the treatment were tested by doing PET scans both before and after the radiotherapy, then comparing the results.

Additionally, the patients involved in the treatment study have experienced no major side effects, and some have even shown long-term benefits.

A cancer which affects the membranous lining of the chest cavity, mesothelioma is linked to asbestos exposure. It is an unusual form of cancer which almost always takes many years to be diagnosed, due to its long latency period—that is, it can remain silent and asymptomatic within the body even while the cancer itself is progressing rapidly. This means that a person can contract mesothelioma but not be aware of it for up to 50 years. When the mesothelioma is eventually diagnosed, it’s usually advanced to Stage III or Stage IV, making treatment more difficult and greatly diminishing the prognosis. Mesothelioma is a painful cancer, in which breathing may be extremely impaired.

Some 700 Australians are diagnosed with mesothelioma each year. In the United States, the number of new mesothelioma cases each year stands at 3,000. The only established cause of mesothelioma is exposure to asbestos, the carcinogenic building material which was so widely used in the 20th century.

Feigen will present his findings to an Australian oncology conference next week.

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New Mesothelioma Treatment Undergoes Tests

The standard chemotherapy treatments currently offered for mesothelioma patients include cisplatin and pemetrexed or a combination of cisplatin and gemcitabine. Recently though, scientists in Greece have tested the effectiveness of combining gemcitabine and docetaxel for the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Pleural mesothelioma is a rare cancer that develops in the lining of the lungs. The primary cause of this illness is exposure to asbestos and those who contract this cancer have often worked in industries ranging from shipyards to construction sites to power and chemical plants.

Even though someone may have been exposed to asbestos several decades ago, they are still at risk for developing mesothelioma as the latency period for symptoms to arise can reach 50 years. Those who have previously worked in industrial settings are encouraged to seek routine medical checkups for signs of asbestos exposure.

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Angiogenesis and Anti-angiogenesis Drugs

Although progress has been made in the early detection of cancer, and in improved treatment options once cancer is diagnosed, there are still many cancers, including mesothelioma, which can not be cured and remain difficult to treat effectively.

In recent years, researchers have learned a great deal about how cancer cells differ from normal cells and, in an effort to find drugs without the potentially severe side effects of chemotherapy, have now discovered drugs which target the tumor itself while sparing the body’s normal cells. One such group are the anti-angiogenesis drugs.
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