Modest Increase in Mesothelioma Survival from Chemotherapy
The chemotherapy combination that has become the standard of care for mesothelioma in many parts of the world appears to be making a modest but measurable difference for mesothelioma patients in The Netherlands. Mesothelioma is caused almost exclusively by inhalation or ingestion of asbestos fibers and is notoriously resistant to most conventional treatments. Within the last decade, chemotherapy with cisplatin-antifolate combinations has been shown to improve responses and prolong survival. Based on the successes shown in clinical trials, a trio of research scientists in The Netherlands launched their own population-based study to “assess the impact of this development on clinical practice and survival at a population-based level.” The study focused on 4,731 Dutch patients diagnosed with mesothelioma between 1995 and…