Mesothelioma Clinical Trials - Mesothelioma Cancer Treatments
Mesothelioma Clinical Trials
Mesothelioma clinical trials revolve around the testing of newly developed mesothelioma treatment modalities designed to combat the fatal cancer. Traditional mesothelioma cancer treatments have been unable to contain the disease, leading researchers to develop and implement new mesothelioma cancer treatments. Mesothelioma clinical trials testing new chemotherapy drugs are ongoing and believed to be capable of producing significant advancements in the treatment of malignant mesothelioma.
Two of the newer mesothelioma chemotherapy drugs that are currently receiving a great deal of attention in the area of mesothelioma treatment are Alimta and Veglin.
Alimta
Alimta is the brand name for pemetrexed, a chemotherapy drug designed to combat pleural mesothelioma and non small-cell lung cancer. Alimta is a folate antimetabolites drug that prevents cellular growth by inhibiting certain enzymes that are essential in the body's formation of DNA and RNA. Alimta is the only drug approved by the Food and Drug Administration for the specific treatment of pleural mesothelioma.
Alimta-based mesothelioma clinical trials are ongoing:
- Alimta plus gemcitabine (Gemzar)
- Pemetrexed disodium and cisplatin, followed by surgery and radiation therapy
- Pemetrexed disodium and gemcitabine / carboplatin
Current Alimta-based clinical trials will determine whether Alimta in combination with other types of drugs / treatments can provide for improved survivability for malignant mesothelioma patients.
Veglin
Veglin is a type of anti-angiogenesis drug that is designed to halt new blood vessel formation (angiogenesis). Veglin targets the body's production of Vascular Endothelial Growth Factors (VEGF), proteins that are integral in the growth of blood vessels into tumors and the uncontrollable spread of cancer cells. It is believed that if Veglin can inhibit the body's production of VEGF, it will be able to halt tumor metastasis and trigger programmed cellular death (apoptosis) of cancer cells.
Phase II of Veglin mesothelioma clinical trials is underway. Phase I trial results were recently reported at the American Society of Clinical Oncology. The results showed Veglin to be successful in blocking tumor growth in patients suffering from a variety of different cancer types: lymphoma, sarcoma, Karposi's sarcoma, and colon and lung cancers. It is hoped that similar successes will be realized from Phase II trials.
About Mesothelioma Cancer
Mesothelioma is a rare type of cancer affecting three sections of the mesothelium: the pleura (lung cavity), the peritoneum (abdominal cavity) and the pericardium (heart sac). Accounting for more than 75% of all mesothelioma cases, pleural mesothelioma is the most common type of the disease. Pleural mesothelioma is often confused with lung cancer because of the fact that both cancers affect similar areas of the body. Pleural mesothelioma affects the tissue lining of the lung while lung cancer affects the lung tissue itself. It is common for pleural mesothelioma patients to develop a secondary lung cancer as a result of tumor metastasis.
Mesothelioma treatments have thus far been unable to eradicate (or even contain) the disease. There are a number of mesothelioma treatment centers located throughout the United States and elsewhere around the world. Mesothelioma treatment centers offer a variety of specialty therapies for mesothelioma sufferers looking to take a proactive approach to treating their disease. Radical surgical procedures such as extrapleural pneumonectomy (removal of the pleura and affected lung) or decortication (partial removal of an internal organ) can significantly increase a mesothelioma sufferer's survival time; however, such radical treatments put the patient at increased risk of suffering premature death, even by mesothelioma standards.