Mesothelioma Information

Mesothelioma is a rare cancer associated with asbestos exposure. The average post-diagnostic life span of an inflicted person is less than 24 months. There are a variety of treatment modalities currently being used to combat mesothelioma, including surgery, radiation therapy and chemotherapy.

Though the rare asbestos disease has no cure, this disease is currently the subject of ongoing mesothelioma research. Scientists are looking into how asbestos affects the cells of the lining of the chest and abdominal cavities, while doctors are working to improve the accuracy of their diagnosis and the effectiveness of a treatment. Despite recent progress, much remains to be studied about treating mesothelioma.

New mesothelioma treatments are being evaluated in clinical trials with the hope of finding a cure. Clinical trials are research studies that evaluate new treatments for safety and efficiency. Trials are just that - trials. This means there are no guarantees and a great deal of work and research is required before a conclusive and effective treatment can be found. Several drugs are currently undergoing clinical trial testing or are being used as treatment options following FDA approval, some of which include Alimta, Onconase and Veglin.

Clinical trials (also called medical research) are research studies used to determine whether new drugs or treatments such as surgery are safe and effective.  If you take part in a clinical trial, you might be given new medicines or other experimental treatments before they are widely available.  There are many clinical trials of new and combination chemotherapy agents in process around the country. 

For more information about clinical trials, please contact us today at 800 933-2244, or see the NCI's information on clinical trials where currently (August 2008) there are 39 different active trials listed.  Twenty-three of the trials are in the United States.  Drugs being used include Bevacizumab, Pemetrexed, AZD2171, Bortezomib, Pazopanib, IPHC, NGR-hTNF, Dasatinib, Glivec, Gemzar, Vandetanib, Valproate, Gene Induction, FR901228, BS-690514, Sunitinib, SU011248, Oral LBH589, SS1(dsFv)-PE38 Immunotoxin, CRS-207, Suberoylanilide Hydroxamic Acid (SAHA), and Azacitidine.  Many of these are being used in phase I trials which are very early trials.  One example of a clinical trial for mesothelioma is Dr. Gill's antiangiogenesis work at the University of Southern California (USC).

There are also screening clinical trials.  These trials try to catch mesothelioma early and hopefully provide a better outcome.  The is one such screening trial.

Patients often believe that placebos are commonly used in cancer trials.  This is almost never the case.  Typically the new treatment is being compared to the standard best treatment of the day.  However, the NCI recently listed a trial that very unusually does involve a placebo.