Mesothelioma Cisplatin Alimta, Valproate In Combination With Pemetrexed And Cisplatin Provides Additional Efficacy To The Treatment Of Malignant Mesothelioma Clinical Cancer Research

Cisplatin is a drug that is prescribed to mesothelioma patients which is not very effective alone but coupled with pemetrexedalimta is known to be the chemotherapy agents that provide the most hope.

Peter griffin lawyer. It helps mesothelioma patients live around one year. In cases of mesothelioma alimta is typically combined with cisplatin another chemotherapy drug. In some cases it can be combined with other platinum based chemotherapy drugs or bevacizumab another targeted therapy that combats tumor growth.

The introduction of pemetrexed alimta eli lilly a multitargeted antifolate agent has improved the outlook for patients with mesothelioma by demonstrating a positive impact on quality of life and by prolonging survival. Pemetrexed is the first fda approved drug for the treatment of mpm. When surgery is not an option for mesothelioma alimta is considered one of the most important treatment options for mesothelioma patients.

Without it most patients survive an average of four months. As a result the chemotherapy combination of alimta and cisplatin has proven effective for treating mesothelioma and is often given as an initial or first line treatment. We conducted a phase iii trial to determine whether treatment with pemetrexed and cisplatin results in survival time superior to that achieved with cisplatin alone.

Each drug has shown marginal success as a treatment for mesothelioma on its own but have produced even better results when doctors use them together. Typically alimta is combined with cisplatin a platinum based chemotherapy drug to treat mesothelioma as either an initial treatment or second line treatment after surgery. Cisplatin is also commonly used for heated intraoperative chemotherapy in patients with peritoneal mesothelioma.

Alimta is also used for treating other cancers such as non small cell lung cancer nsclc. Patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma a rapidly progressing malignancy with a median survival time of 6 to 9 months have previously responded poorly to chemotherapy. Food and drug administration fda to treat malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Alimta and cisplatin are the most commonly prescribed drugs for first line mesothelioma chemotherapy. Although cisplatin has been around for a while it is only recently that the drug has been used in conjunction with alimta. The fda approved the combination as a treatment for mesothelioma after a medical study demonstrated its effectiveness.

Cisplatin is typically combined with another chemotherapy drug like alimta also known as pemetrexed to slow or potentially stop cancer growth in patients with mesothelioma. Cisplatin was first developed to treat testicular bladder and ovarian cancer. The side effects can include damage to the kidneys nausea and loss of appetite tiredness hair loss and increased risk of infection.

Food and drug administration fda approved alimta for first line treatment in patients with mesothelioma who are not candidates for curative surgery.