People diagnosed with an aggressive form of mesothelioma may be grateful to know a promising treatment is on the horizon. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
mesothelioma is a form of cancer that “forms in the thin tissue that lines many of your internal organs.” Research
in Annals of Translational Medicine says, “mesothelioma is associated with “long-term exposure to asbestos” and that this form of cancer is often difficult to catch in its early stages, making it hard to treat.
A new chemotherapy treatment significantly increased the overall survival for some mesothelioma patients. The study published in JAMA Network highlights the drug ADI-PEG20 (pegargiminase) combined with chemotherapy success that involved 249 people diagnosed with pleural mesothelioma (cancer lining the lungs).
Researchers leading the study say the median overall survival was “9.3 months” with pegargiminase-chemotherapy compared to “7.7 months with placebo-chemotherapy.”
The media progression-free survival was “6.2 months with pegargiminase-chemotherapy as compared with 5.6 months with placebo-chemotherapy.”
“This was a randomized controlled trial using an arginine-depleting agent pegargiminase combined with standard platinum and pemetrexed chemotherapy compared to placebo chemotherapy. The overall survival showed a significant survival benefit in those getting the experimental drug,” Dr. Flores said.
The study brings us closer to improving the quality of life for people diagnosed with mesothelioma.
“Although we are far from a cure, it is studies like this that take us steps closer to really changing the lives of these patients,” Dr. Flores added.
Expert Resources on Clinical Trials
Clinical Trials Help Bring Hope to Patients
Within the U.S., all new drugs must go through clinical trials before the FDA approves them. Although the rewards of clinical trials can be great, they also come with risks. Talking to your doctor about this before enrolling in a trial is important. Some risks to consider include:
- The risk of harm and/or side effects due to experimental treatments
- Researchers may be unaware of some potential side effects of experimental treatments
- The treatment may not work for you, even if it has worked for others
Dr. Beth Karlan is a gynecologic oncologist at UCLA Health. She says the goal with clinical trials is to advance cancer research to a point where the disease becomes akin to diabetes, where it becomes a manageable condition.
“Clinical trials hopefully can benefit you, but they also provide vital information to the whole scientific community about the effectiveness of these treatments,” Dr. Karlan said.
“They can be life-saving. In the last few years, we’ve seen many children and adults who have participated in trials and had miraculous results,” Dr. Karlan continued.
WATCH: Clinical trials test state-of-the-art cancer treatments.
During the treatment of an experimental drug in a clinical trial, while some participants receive the real thing, others do not. These participants receive a placebo.
The placebo is “an inactive substance or other intervention that looks the same and is given the same way as an active drug or treatment being tested. The effects of the active drug or other intervention are compared to the effects of the placebo,” as defined by the National Cancer Institute.
In some cancer clinical trials that are “randomized,” patients who enroll are randomly assigned to receive either a placebo or the new experimental drug being studied. If the clinical trial is “double-blinded,” that means that neither the patients nor the doctors running the clinical trials know who’s in which group. This is an important part of a clinical trial design because it safeguards against bias and the possibility of skewed results.
If you want to participate in a clinical trial, your first step should be to talk with your doctor. They can address many of your initial questions and help you determine if you would make a good participant.
Another crucial part of clinical trials is finding the right one for you. SurvirorNet has a resource to help with this called the Clinical Trial Finder.
The portal provides resourceful information to more than 103,000 active clinical trials. You can research this tool for yourself or someone else based on a few simple questions about your condition and location.
Understanding Mesothelioma
Mesothelioma is a rare cancer that impacts the thin tissue lining the lungs, chest wall, and abdomen. Asbestos is a significant risk factor for this type of cancer, the National Cancer Institute says.
Asbestos is a known carcinogen. It was widely used in commercial products and buildings in the United States until the 1970s, when indisputable data linked it to mesothelioma.
Dr. Joseph Friedberg, Head of the Division of Thoracic Surgery at the University of Maryland School of Medicine, said mesothelioma’s survival rate is generally no longer than one to two years.
“So maybe a few thousand cases a year in the United States,” Dr. Friedberg told SurvivorNet in a previous conversation. “It’s the cancer which is the overwhelming majority of the time–is caused by asbestos.”
Shortness of breath is the most prevailing symptom of mesothelioma.
“Most often, they’ll get diagnosed as having pneumonia or something else because someone listens to them, they have decreased breathing sounds, and they get treated,” Dr. Friedberg said. “So, because it’s such a rare cancer, it is often misdiagnosed for several months.”
Learn more about SurvivorNet’s rigorous medical review process.
Rohit Malhotra is a medical expert and health journalist who offers evidence-based advice on fitness, nutrition, and mental well-being. His articles aim to help readers lead healthier lives.
