Mesothelioma Patients Treated with Chemotherapy Are Living Longer

Mesothelioma News

Certain Mesothelioma Patients Living Longer with Chemotherapy

SEOUL, KOREA — September 28, 2007 — Patients who have been diagnosed with malignant mesothelioma are living longer, according to a Nordic collaborative group that spoke at the 12th World Conference on Lung Cancer in Seoul, Korea. The study showed that victims specifically suffering with epithelial mesothelioma who were treated with chemotherapy alone survived an average of 15 months after diagnosis, and some patients lived for more than three years.

The Nordic mesothelioma group study gives hope to victims of mesothelioma who previously had a median survival rate of a year.

“The experience of the Nordic Mesothelioma Group is different,” said Dr. Gunnar Hillerdal of the Karolinksa University Hospital in Stockholm at the IASLC meeting.

Nordic investigators followed the lives of 147 mesothelioma patients treated with chemotherapy and given liposomal doxorubicin, carboplatin, and gemcitabine. Researchers found that 108 of the mesothelioma patients participating in the Nordic group study had epithelial subtype mesothelioma and had the longest rate of survival. At least 44% of patients with epithelial mesothelioma survived 18 months or more, 25% survived for two years, 9% lived three years or longer, and two patients remained alive after five years of follow–up. Sadly, mesothelioma patients with mixed subtype or sarcomatous disease survived an average of four to eight months.

“The key message from this study is that survival of mesothelioma is not so bad as many people believe,” said Dr. Hillerdal. “With proper patient selection survival with chemotherapy can be just as good as with surgery or even better. The important thing to remember is patient selection. Subtype is more important than stage, and that should be kept in mind when evaluating results of surgical series.” (Medpage Today, September 4, 2007)

Mesothelioma Treatment with Chemotherapy and Its Side Effects

Although the Nordic mesothelioma group study should be considered preliminary, it does suggest that patients with this particular histologic subtype, epithelial mesothelioma, might lengthen their life with chemotherapy.

Mesothelioma is a rare form of cancer caused by exposure to asbestos, a naturally occurring mineral that was used in a variety of industries. Mesothelioma causes tumors on the surface of the lung and is almost always fatal. In mesothelioma patients, cancer cells grow without control or order and spread along the surface of the internal organs. The three common varieties of mesothelioma are epitheliod, sarcomatoid, and mixed/biphasic mesothelioma. Epithelial mesothelioma affects the membrane lining the chest cavity, heart, lungs and abdominal cavity, and is the most common type of mesothelioma.

Chemotherapy involves the use of drugs and chemicals to fight the mesothelioma cancer cells. The substances are given to patients in pill form or by injection. Chemotherapy drugs may cause fatigue or even exhaustion. Other side effects may include nausea, vomiting, and hair loss. Specific side effects will depend upon the drug that is being used, its dosage, and the length of treatment. If you are suffering from mesothelioma and are interested in chemotherapy you will need to consult your doctor both before and after the chemotherapy treatment to know what side effects you may expect and how to minimize these.

Brayton Purcell and Your Mesothelioma Case

For over 24 years, Brayton Purcell has been extensively involved with the legal rights of mesothelioma victims, including injured workers and their families. We have represented both asbestos workers and individuals who have come into contact with asbestos through others. We seek damages to the full extent allowed by law in order to compensate our clients for their pain and suffering, loss of wages, and medical expenses.

If you would like to request more information about how Brayton Purcell’s mesothelioma lawyers can help you, you may contact us through this web site or at our offices. Although our main offices are in California, Oregon, and Utah, we have a nationwide client base, and many of our mesothelioma lawyers are admitted in multiple states.