Alimta for Patients with Recurrent Mesothelioma
According to the Journal of Thoracic Oncology, treatment with the chemotherapy agent Alimta with or without the chemotherapy agent Platinol (cisplatin) provides benefit for patients with malignant mesothelioma who have received prior therapies.
Malignant pleural mesothelioma is a rare cancer often caused by chronic exposure to asbestos. Majority of patients are not diagnosed until the disease has progressed to an advanced stage. The general symptoms of this disease are shortness of breath, cough, pain, fatigue etc.
Mesothelioma is fairly resistant to most therapies, including surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy. Recurrent mesothelioma refers to cancer that has progressed or returned following prior therapies. Treatment strategies that will improve long-term outcomes for patients with recurrent mesothelioma are still being evaluated.
Researchers recently conducted a phase III trial to evaluate treatment including Alimta or Alimta/cisplatin for recurrent mesothelioma. This trial directly compared 187 patients who were treated with either Alimta or Alimta/cisplatin.
* Anticancer responses were achieved in 32.5% of patients treated with Alimta with cisplatin compared with 5.5% for patients treated with Alimta alone.
* Anticancer responses plus disease stabilization was achieved in around 69% of patients treated with Alimta with cisplatin. It was only 47% for those treated with Alimta alone.
* 50% of the patients were alive at 7.6 months among those treated with Alimta with cisplatin whereas 4.1 months for those treated with Alimta alone.
* Side effects were generally rare.
