CLINICAL TRIALS FOR PERITONEAL MESOTHELIOMA

In order to try and find an effective treatment and cure for mesothelioma, clinical trials have been a vital part of the treatment process. These trials, carried out at institutions and hospitals all over the country, are extensive tests to determine the efficiency and side effects of any drug which has shown marked improvement when tested under lab conditions and in animal tests.

It is not guaranteed that any clinical trial will prove more successful or even as successful as treatment already being used. The purpose of clinical trials is to determine what sort of effect the new treatment or drug may have, and from there a decision can be made as to whether the treatment should be put forward for approval by the FDA (Food and Drugs Administration).

Clinical trials are based around drugs which have shown signs of responding well to cancerous cells, and the purpose of these trials is to monitor the response and effects on human test subjects. The nature of each trial can differ depending on the state and location in which it is being held.

Some recent and current clinical trials from around the country include:

(1)Alimta & Gemcitabine

(2)Neoadjuvant Pemetrexed Disodium and Cisplatin followed by Surgery and Radiation Therapy

(3)Intra pleural BG00001

(4)Erlotinib on Patients with Solid Tumours or Liver/Kidney Dysfunction

(5)PTK787/ZK 222584 for Patients with Unresectable Malignant Mesothelioma

(6)Alanosine

(7)SS1 (dsFv) – PE38 Immunotoxin (for advanced cancer patients)

The above are a sample of some of the recent and current clinical trials on operation. There are new trials and tests coming to light on a regular basis, many of which will undergo clinical trials. And through this continual testing, it is hoped that a breakthrough in mesothelioma treatment will come to light.