Chemotherapy Helps The Survival Of Mesothelioma?

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer in which malignant (cancerous) cells are formed in the mesothelium, a protective bag may be that the major part of the internal organs were found. Every year, more than 2,000 new cases of mesothelioma are diagnosed in the United States, many of whom. Eventually as terminal
Although there is no one size fits all cure for mesothelioma, researchers and doctors working in the different treatments that can help manage this rare form of cancer easier. Currently, treatment of mesothelioma is generally dependent on the location, stage, general health and age of the patient mesothelioma. At this time, patients experienced one or more of a combination of treatments, surgery, radiotherapy and / or chemotherapy.
Chemotherapy?
Chemotherapy is a palliative treatment modalities that can help reduce the symptoms of mesothelioma, and possibly the size of the tumors is considered, but is not curative. In the past decade, has shown that chemotherapy with cisplatin-antifolate combinations for comments to improve and prolong survival in patients with mesothelioma. Based on the results obtained in clinical trials is a trio of Dutch researchers have their own population-based study "to assess the impact of these changes can be assessed in clinical practice and the survival of a population-based."
The study focused on 4,731 patients diagnosed with mesothelioma zwischen Dutch 1995 and 2006. For the period 1995-1998 and 2005-2006, the use of chemotherapy in mesothelioma treatment has increased from 8% to 36%. Simultaneously, the average survival time of patients treated with chemotherapy increased from 10.1 months to 13.1 months in the past few years in the past years. The researchers summarized their findings by stating that the use of chemotherapy at the national level only the survival of patients with mesothelioma increases, but also warned that there. Other reasons why this is the case
ALIMTA and cisplatin
Cisplatin is a platinum-containing chemotherapeutic agent as Platinol marketed and used for a number of different types of cancer, including mesothelioma. Some cancers, such as lung cancer and small cell lung cancer and ovarian cancer, lymphoma and germ cell tumors to the inside of cancer cells induce cisplatin and other platinum based drugs death, tumor cell killing. USA, on the basis of platinum cisplatin. Generally in combination with another drug, Alimta for the treatment of mesothelioma antifolate pemetrexed is a drug that interferes with the activity to block folic acid works on cellular metabolism cells.
FDA has the combination of pemetrexed plus cisplatin after a clinical study showed that both drugs are effective medications. In July 2003, reported the Journal of Clinical Oncology published the results of a median survival of 12.1 months in patients with mesothelioma treated with pemetrexed and cisplatin versus 9.3 months for patients receiving cisplatin with mesothelioma. The researchers also found that the addition of folic acid and vitamin B12 has contributed to the drug. Survival without reducing toxicity
It is expected that the investigation continues, we will continue to better alternatives (and hopefully a cure) for patients with mesothelioma.