Study Tests the Effectiveness of Combination Chemotherapy for Post-Surgery Mesothelioma Treatment

A study led by Dr. David Sugarbaker, Chief of Thoracic Surgery at Brigham and Women’s Hospital and a mesothelioma specialist, is exploring whether Cisplatin can be used safely in combination with another anti-cancer drug, Gemcitabine to treat mesothelioma patients. Specifically the team is testing the effectiveness of using a combination of the chemotherapy drugs after removal of cancerous tumors.

Mesothelioma, an unusual form of cancer which is closely linked to inhaling asbestos fibers, is responsible for approximately 3,000 new cases each year in the United States. Although there is no cure for mesothelioma, it can be treated with varying degrees of success through the use of surgical procedures, chemotherapy and radiation.

While not all mesothelioma patients are candidates for surgery it remains the optimal procedure for reducing the presence of malignant mesothelioma tumors to the microscopic level. Once the visible tumors are removed, doctors then use chemotherapy drugs to stop the cancer cells from growing and spreading.

The two drugs are often used together to treat chemotherapy, called GemCisplat treatment, but as part of this study, the chest cavities of the patients are bathed in the drugs for one hour after tumors are removed. The drugs are warmed to a temperature of 107 degrees.

Researchers at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston are recruiting patients with malignant mesothelioma for the study.