Effective Second-Line Treatment for Mesothelioma Gaining Ground

Doctors at the Swiss Group for Clinical Cancer Research in Zurich, Switzerland, have uncovered a novel, anti-tumor compound that could become a needed second-line treatment for pleural mesothelioma cancer. Their recent multicenter phase II clinical trial conducted in Switzerland and Italy revealed the safety and efficacy of lurbinectedin, a synthetically produced agent that inhibits the growth of mesothelioma cells. “We believe this could represent a new treatment option for pleural mesothelioma,” Dr. Yannis Metaxas, oncologist at Kantonsspital Graubunden outside Zurich, told The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com. “It could prove eventually to be a real breakthrough. This was a good first step, and the results were quite impressive.” Metaxas presented his group’s findings at the European Society for Medical Oncology conference earlier this month in Barcelona, Spain. There currently is no standard treatment for patients with unresectable mesothelioma that inevitably progresses after chemotherapy. In May, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration approved Tumor Treating Fields — the first new treatment approval for mesothelioma in 15 years – but usefulness remains in question as a second-line treatment. “There is a real need here,” Metaxas said. “We don’t know yet if it [lurbinectedin] can be more effective than current standard of care, but we do know it is active against these tumor cells.” Survival Times Increased Significantly The single-arm clinical...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: news