chemotherapy

Asia | Chemotherapy | International | Treatments

Standard Mesothelioma Chemotherapy with Avastin: More Good News
ByAlex Strauss September 8, 2020

Another new study suggests that adding a third drug to standard mesothelioma chemotherapy might lead to better treatment outcomes. Several recent studies show immunotherapy drugs like Keytruda and IMFINZI may boost the effectiveness of chemotherapy. The newest report focuses on the monoclonal antibody, bevacizumab (Avastin). Japanese researchers back up what others have found. They say most patients did well on a combination of Avastin and standard mesothelioma chemotherapy. Drug Blocks Blood Vessel Formation Like all body tissues, mesothelioma tumors need blood vessels to grow and thrive. Angiogenesis is the process by which tumors create their own new blood vessels. Avastin works by blocking this process. Without an adequate blood supply, a mesothelioma tumor may be more susceptible to standard mesothelioma…

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Chemotherapy | Europe | International | Treatments

Electrochemotherapy for Mesothelioma May Relieve Pain, Shrink Tumors
ByAlex Strauss August 4, 2020

There’s new evidence that a technique called electrochemotherapy (ECT) may relieve mesothelioma pain and even shrink tumors. It may be an option for patients who have not had success with other treatments. Cancer researchers with the Italian Ministry of Health recently conducted the first test of electrochemotherapy on pleural mesothelioma and several other rare cancers. They found that zapping tumors with electricity helped the medicine go through the cell membranes. The treatment reduced pain for every patient tested. In most cases, it also slowed down or even temporarily stopped their tumor growth. How Electrochemotherapy Works Malignant mesothelioma is a rare membrane cancer. Chemotherapy is the main treatment for mesothelioma. But more than half of mesothelioma tumors do not respond to…

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Chemotherapy | Europe | Immunotherapy | International | New Studies | Research | Treatments

Triple Therapy May Become New First-Line Treatment for Mesothelioma
ByAlex Strauss July 29, 2020

A combination of three powerful mesothelioma therapies could become a new first-line treatment for mesothelioma if an upcoming clinical trial is successful. The makers of the experimental immunotherapy drug ONCOS-102 announced the new clinical trial. It will enroll up to 100 mesothelioma patients from around the world. The trial will test ONCOS-102 along with Keytruda (pembrolizumab) and standard chemotherapy. Keytruda is an immune checkpoint inhibitor. Both ONCOS-102 and Keytruda have shown some promise when combined with mesothelioma chemotherapy. Targovax hopes that the triple therapy approach will produce an even more powerful first-line treatment for mesothelioma. Clinic Trial of ONCOS-102 A first-line treatment is a treatment for mesothelioma patients who have not yet had any other therapies. Most patients start with…

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Australia | Immunotherapy | International | Mesothelioma | Multi-Modality Therapy | Treatments

First-Line Immunotherapy May Be Better Than Chemo for This Mesothelioma Subtype
ByAlex Strauss July 18, 2020

A new study suggests that people with sarcomatoid mesothelioma may fare better if they have first-line immunotherapy before considering chemotherapy. Chemotherapy is the standard first-line treatment for most people with mesothelioma. But a report in the journal Translational Lung Cancer questions the wisdom of that trend. The study focused on the outcomes of patients with the sarcomatoid mesothelioma subtype. These patients lived longer after immunotherapy than patients with other subtypes. When first-line immunotherapy worked best, patients produced more white blood cells. Researchers say these patients might do well to avoid having chemotherapy first. Chemotherapy as Standard Mesothelioma Treatment First-line immunotherapy is not the typical mesothelioma treatment. Most mesothelioma patients have chemotherapy with Alimta (pemetrexed) before other treatments. Alimta is the…

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Chemotherapy | Immune Systems | Immunotherapy | Multi-Modality Therapy | Research | Treatments

Immunotherapy with Durvalumab: Record Survival in Inoperable Mesothelioma
ByAlex Strauss June 17, 2020

There is new evidence that the immunotherapy drug durvalumab may make chemotherapy more effective for people with inoperable pleural mesothelioma. Researchers recently achieved record mesothelioma survival times with this combination. Mesothelioma is a rare cancer with a poor prognosis. Surgery can sometimes help if it is caught early. But only a small percentage of patients are candidates for mesothelioma surgery. Most have chemotherapy, which is only moderately effective. But new research presented to the nation’s largest gathering of cancer doctors shows the immunotherapy drug durvalumab may help. Doctors at Johns Hopkins combined durvalumab with standard mesothelioma chemotherapy. Study participants lived an average of 8 months longer than is typical with this disease. If further studies confirm the benefit, it could…

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Chemotherapy | Radiation Therapy | Treatments

Chemoperfusion Treatment for Mesothelioma: Chemo Without the Side Effects?
ByAlex Strauss June 15, 2020

New research suggests that chemoperfusion treatment for mesothelioma may buy patients more time without the side effects of traditional chemotherapy. Chemoperfusion treatment involves injecting cancer-killing drugs directly into the vessels that feed a pleural mesothelioma tumor. The research was presented during a virtual session of the Society of Interventional Radiology’s annual meeting. Researchers showed how this novel approach could improve quality of life for mesothelioma patients. Limitations of Chemotherapy Pleural mesothelioma is a rare cancer with few treatment options. Most mesothelioma patients start with chemotherapy. Alimta (pemetrexed) is the primary chemotherapy drug for mesothelioma. But chemotherapy has drawbacks that chemoperfusion treatment for mesothelioma might avoid. Conventional chemotherapy circulates drugs throughout the body. That means that normal cells can absorb them…

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Asia | Chemotherapy | International | Symptoms | Treatments

Predicting Kidney Damage from Chemotherapy for Mesothelioma
ByAlex Strauss April 23, 2020

It may be possible to predict which mesothelioma patients are at risk for kidney damage from chemotherapy and take steps to prevent it. Japanese cancer researchers have linked a protein called megalin to cisplatin-related nephrotoxicity. Cisplatin is one of the main drugs used to treat mesothelioma. The researchers say people with more megalin in their urine are more likely to have kidney damage from chemotherapy with cisplatin. Kidney Damage is a Risk of Chemotherapy Malignant mesothelioma is a rare cancer with no cure. Although scientists are working on other options, chemotherapy is the main treatment for mesothelioma. Most patients have a combination of Alimta (pemetrexed) and the platinum-based drug cisplatin. One of the biggest risks with cisplatin is kidney damage…

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Chemotherapy | Europe | International | New Drugs | Treatments

Second Line Mesothelioma Treatment Shot Down in New Study
ByAlex Strauss March 2, 2020

Italian researchers say there is good news and bad news about a proposed second line mesothelioma treatment. The good news is that the treatment did not cause major side effects in the patients who tried it. The bad news is that it also did not help them live any longer. The treatment is a mixture of gemcitabine and imatinib. Animal studies suggested that the combination might improve mesothelioma survival. The newly-published study shows the second line mesothelioma treatment did help control the disease in most patients. But the 23 patients who tried it only lived for a median of 5.7 months. That was not enough for doctors to recommend the combination. Mesothelioma Chemotherapy and Survival The most common first line…

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Chemotherapy | New Drugs | Treatments

Injectable Pemetrexed for Mesothelioma Now Available for the First Time
ByAlex Strauss February 11, 2020

The FDA has cleared injectable pemetrexed for mesothelioma after two drug companies settled a patent dispute over the medication in December. Until now, the chemotherapy drug pemetrexed has only been available for infusion. In this form, it is called Alimta and is distributed by Eli Lilly. But New Jersey-based Eagle Pharmaceuticals wanted to develop a form of injectable pemetrexed for mesothelioma. They received tentative approval for the drug in 2018, but it was not until the patent issue was settled that the final approval was granted. The drug may shorten the duration of treatment for some patients with malignant mesothelioma. Pemetrexed the Primary Mesothelioma Treatment Malignant mesothelioma is an intractable cancer that grows on the membranes around internal organs. Patients…

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Europe | Immunotherapy | International | New Studies | Research | Treatments

Immunotherapy with ONCOS-102 Shows Promise for Mesothelioma
ByAlex Strauss February 5, 2020

Early results are in on the latest trial of immunotherapy with ONCOS-102 and the news is good for pleural mesothelioma patients. Norweigian drug maker Targovax released the news about ONCOS-102 earlier this week. The new drug is based on an oncolytic virus that targets mesothelioma cells. When the virus gets inside the cells, it triggers an immune response. Early tests of immunotherapy with ONCOS-102 showed it helped mesothelioma chemotherapy work better. Now, a larger study appears to confirm the effect. The news could lead to new and better treatments for this intractable cancer. What is an Oncolytic Virus? An oncolytic virus is a virus that targets cancer cells. ONCOS-102 was designed to seek out mesothelioma cells. It is made out…

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