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Posted on Thursday, Aug 20, 2009

Clinical Trials Key to Mesothelioma Treatment Breakthroughs

Doctors, pharmaceutical companies and patients rely on the results of clinical trials for breakthrough treatments for medical conditions. Finding new treatment options for mesothelioma, an incurable cancer caused by asbestos, is dependent on successful clinical trials focused on testing newly developed mesothelioma treatment approaches designed to combat the cancer.

A clinical trial is one of the final stages of the rigorous cancer research process. Clinical trials are studies that enroll patients to determine whether a new approach to cancer prevention, diagnosis or treatment is safe and effective. During the trial period the medical team monitors the health of the participants and gauges the efficacy of the treatment against the side effects.

Traditional mesothelioma treatments have been unable to stop the cancer from metastasizing, or spreading, to other organs in the body. According to the Mesothelioma Research Foundation of America, whose mission is to fund research that will lead to the quickest cure for mesothelioma, “malignant mesothelioma drug trials testing new chemotherapy drugs are ongoing and believed to be capable of producing significant advancements in the treatment of malignant mesothelioma.”

Mesothelioma Trial Successes

The use of clinical trials for new chemotherapy agents in the treatment of malignant mesothelioma has resulted in additional treatment options for mesothelioma patients. One of the newer chemotherapy drugs receiving attention is Alimta (pemetrexed) used in combination with Cisplatin. Combined use of chemotherapy drugs increases the effectiveness of treatment when surgery is not possible. Another combination found during clinical trials includes gemcitabine and cisplatin.

A drug currently being researched for mesothelioma treatment is Veglin which is designed to inhibit the formation of new blood vessels to tumors. With this nourishment the tumors grow and eventually cause death in the patient. A similar drug, Bevacizumab (Avastin™), was the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)- approved therapy found to inhibit the formation of new blood vessels to tumors.

Benefits of Clinical Trials

Participants in clinical trials not only help the medical community in general, but they can realize many benefits for their specific medical needs. Specifically, benefits from well-designed and well-executed clinical trials allow patients to:

  • Take an active role in their own health care.
  • Gain access to new research treatments before they are widely available.
  • Obtain expert medical care at leading health care facilities during the trial.
  • Help others by contributing to medical research.

There are risks associated to clinical trials of which participants should be aware. Primarily, the experimental treatment may not be effective for the patient, or the patient could have a serious or life-threatening side effect.

More Patients Needed for Clinical Trials

An advisory group established by Congress to monitor the war on cancer asked oncologists and researchers what can be done to speed the progress on finding new, effective treatments for cancer. Researchers responded that more patients are needed for participation in trials. Statistics show that of adult cancer patients only 3 percent participate in clinical trials for cancer treatments.

According to clinicaltrials.gov there are close to 6,500 cancer clinical trials seeking adult patients. Further disheartening to the committee is that “more than one trial in five sponsored by the National Cancer Institute failed to enroll a single subject, and only half reached the minimum needed for a meaningful result.”

Resources:
Mesothelioma clinical trials recruiting volunteers
Mesothelioma Research Foundation of America (MESORFA)