Mesothelioma Clinical Trials Resume After COVID-19 Disruption

When the COVID-19 pandemic struck earlier this year, clinical trials at medical centers around the world slowed enrollment or placed trial activities on hold. As businesses begin to reopen in the United States, more treatment centers are resuming mesothelioma study activities and ramping up enrollment. Clinical research trials offer patients access to experimental mesothelioma treatments that haven’t yet been approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. These treatments may provide higher chances of survival than the current standard of care. “So far, every patient I have seen during the COVID-19 pandemic has favored alternative therapies to surgery,” Dr. Nestor Villamizar, a thoracic surgeon at Sylvester Comprehensive Care Center in Miami, told The Mesothelioma Center at Asbestos.com. “These are showing promising results, like dual immunotherapy and chemotherapy with Tumor Treating Fields.” A number of treatment centers, such as Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, delayed mesothelioma clinical trials at the start of the pandemic. Others, such as the Pacific Mesothelioma Center in Los Angeles, continued screening patients, but on a limited basis. Now, many mesothelioma clinical trials are resuming regular screening and enrollment measures for mesothelioma patients at most sites. Hundreds of Cancer Clinical Trials Now Back on Course Thanks to measures put in place by the National Cancer Institute, medical professionals have been able to make safe an...
Source: Asbestos and Mesothelioma News - Category: Environmental Health Authors: Source Type: news