Mesothelioma: Clinical Trials
Malignant mesothelioma (MM) is widely regarded as untreatable and incurable. Chemotherapy and combinations of surgery, radiotherapy and chemotherapy protocols have yielded encouraging results. In a study being conducted at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, London symptoms such as persistent coughing, shortness of breath and chest pain improved in a majority of the twenty-seven patients treated with Vinorelbine, a drug approved for the treatment of breast cancer and non-small cell lung cancer; few side effects were experienced. In seven of the cases, CT scans showed marked regression of the tumours. The non-invasive out-patient treatment involves repeated cycles of six doses of the drug. An abstract presented at the July, 1999 meeting of the British Association for Cancer Research, concluded: "Vinorelbine may offer a real opportunity for palliation of patients with MM." Rob Dawber, who was diagnosed on December 22, 1998, is in no doubt about the effectiveness of the drug. A CT scan taken after his first cycle of treatment showed: "a definite regression in all areas." Lung specialist Dr. Robin Rudd believes that "recent developments suggest that we are beginning to make progress." In Autumn,1999 Rudd planned "to go on to a new study in which we shall be looking at the addition of a new drug called Oxiliplatin to Vinorelbine to see if this will improve efficacy."
Professor Bruce Robinson, joint leader of the mesothelioma research team in Perth, Australia, reports a 42% success rate for the Gemcitibine-cisplatin protocol used since 1997. Proposals for gene therapy trials are currently being considered by his team at Sir Charles Gairdner Hospital.
May 2, 2000
