Clinical Trials for Unresectable Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma

  • Fukuoka Kazuya
    Division of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Hyogo College of Medicine
  • Nakano Takashi
    Division of Respiratory Medicine, Department of Internal Medicine, Hyogo College of Medicine

Bibliographic Information

Other Title
  • 切除不能例に対する臨床試験

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Description

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a highly lethal and refractory malignancy caused by asbestos exposure. As local treatment, such as surgical resection or radiotherapy, is of limited efficacy, systemic chemotherapy plays an important role in improvement of treatment outcome. The results obtained from a large-scale phase III study led to approval of pemetrexed, a novel antifolate, by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the world's first therapeutic agent for MPM, and combination treatment with pemetrexed plus cisplatin has been recognized as standard chemotherapy for this disease in the first-line setting. Recent studies provide evidence that second-line chemotherapy for malignancies including MPM, is closely related to prolonged survival. To date, however, no chemotherapeutic regimens have been recommended in the second-line setting for MPM. To evaluate the efficacy and safety of combination chemotherapy with pemetrexed plus cisplatin in the second-line setting for unresectable MPM, a prospective multi-institutional study, as a project of the "Comprehensive approach on asbestos-related diseases" supported by the "Special Coordination Funds for Promoting Science and Technology", has been commenced in Japan.<br>

Journal

  • Haigan

    Haigan 49 (4), 397-402, 2009

    The Japan Lung Cancer Society

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