Large Study Finds Treatment Combination Leads to Long-Term Mesothelioma Survival
| | | | |

Large Study Finds Treatment Combination Leads to Long-Term Mesothelioma Survival

There is more evidence that surgery and intraperitoneal chemotherapy can lead to long-term mesothelioma survival. The news comes from an Australian study of more than 1,200 cancer patients. The study finds that one in five peritoneal mesothelioma patients who had this treatment combination were still alive 10 years later.  Peritoneal Cancer Survival with Surgery  Peritoneal cancers occur on the lining of the abdomen. Peritoneal mesothelioma starts on this peritoneal membrane. Some other peritoneal cancers start elsewhere in the body and spread to the peritoneum. The new Australian study analyzed the cases of peritoneal cancer patients who had cytoreductive surgery between 1996 and 2018. Cytoreductive surgery aims to remove as much of the cancer as possible. Past studies have found that…

PIPAC May Make More Patients Candidates for Mesothelioma Surgery
| | | | |

PIPAC May Make More Patients Candidates for Mesothelioma Surgery

Researchers in France have come up with a way to turn some people with inoperable peritoneal mesothelioma into good candidates for mesothelioma surgery.  They are using a new technique to spray chemotherapy drugs directly onto peritoneal tumors in order to shrink them.  In some cases, the technique shrunk mesothelioma tumors enough that they could be surgically removed with the CRS/HIPEC procedure.  What Makes a Good Candidate for Mesothelioma Surgery A number of factors influence whether patients are good candidates for mesothelioma surgery. Patients have to be in otherwise reasonably good health so that their body can handle the surgery. It is also critical that their mesothelioma not be so widespread in their abdomen that it would be impossible for surgeons…

Gel-Based Mesothelioma Treatment: A Novel Approach to Pleural Mesothelioma
| | | |

Gel-Based Mesothelioma Treatment: A Novel Approach to Pleural Mesothelioma

Swiss scientists are developing a novel gel-based mesothelioma treatment for people with pleural disease. Early studies suggest it may be a safer way to deliver cancer-fighting drugs with fewer side effects. The gel-based mesothelioma treatment combines the chemotherapy drug cisplatin with a natural “glue” called fibrin. When the gel is applied during surgery, it can keep fighting tumors for months. Why Develop a Gel-Based Treatment? Cisplatin is a platinum-based drug. Together with pemetrexed (Alimta), it is one of the most common chemotherapy drugs for mesothelioma. In the past decade, doctors came up with a way to increase the effectiveness of cisplatin in people with peritoneal mesothelioma. These patients get chemotherapy the usual way. But they also get a rinse of…

Treating Advanced Peritoneal Mesothelioma with Spray-On Oxaliplatin
| | | |

Treating Advanced Peritoneal Mesothelioma with Spray-On Oxaliplatin

European doctors have tested a new spray-on cancer drug that could be another treatment option for people with advanced peritoneal mesothelioma. The drug is oxaliplatin. It is sold under the brand name Eloxatin. It is normally given by injection into a vein. But that can cause serious side effects, including stomach pain. A new study published in the European Journal of Surgical Oncology suggests there may be a more effective way to get the benefits of oxaliplatin. Researchers found that using it as a spray for advanced peritoneal mesothelioma extended survival with fewer side effects. PIPAC for Advanced Peritoneal Mesothelioma As Surviving Mesothelioma first reported last spring, pressurized intraperitoneal aerosol chemotherapy (PIPAC) is a new way to deliver cancer medicines….

Longer Mesothelioma Survival Possible with Long-Term Local Chemotherapy
| |

Longer Mesothelioma Survival Possible with Long-Term Local Chemotherapy

There is evidence that repeatedly rinsing the abdomen with medicine might lead to longer mesothelioma survival after surgery. A rinse of heated chemotherapy drugs during surgery has become standard of care for peritoneal mesothelioma. Unfortunately, mesothelioma usually comes back. But a top mesothelioma doctor says longer mesothelioma survival might be possible if patients got regular chemotherapy “rinses” through a catheter. Studies show the drugs may not even have to be heated to work. Longer Mesothelioma Survival After Surgery Peritoneal mesothelioma is a type of asbestos cancer. It starts on the lining around the abdomen and can spread to other parts of the body. About a fifth of mesothelioma patients have this type. Heated intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) has led to longer…