Can pemetrexed help in malignant mesothelioma?
Saturday, October 28th, 2006.
Drug and Theraputics Bulletin. 2006 Oct;44(10):77-80. [Link]
Abstract
Mesothelioma is a cancer that originates in the pleura or, more rarely, the peritoneum, and is almost always due to exposure to asbestos fibres. It is typically fatal, with a median survival of about 8-14 months after diagnosis. Conventional treatment options have not improved this poor outlook. Also, the number of deaths attributable to malignant mesothelioma has been rising rapidly in the UK since the late 1960s, and is set to peak at about 1,950-2,450 per year between 2011 and 2015. It is against this background that pemetrexed (pronounced pe-me-treks-ed) (Alimta – Lilly) has recently become available for use with cisplatin for the treatment of patients with unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma who have not previously been treated with chemotherapy. Currently, this is the only chemotherapy regimen licensed for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma in the UK. Here we review the care of patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma, focusing on what, if anything, pemetrexed might offer such individuals.
Glossary
- Alimta
- (pemetrexed) trademarked name under which pemetrexed is marketed. Chemotherapy drug. See: pemetrexed.
- regimen
- (rej-uh-men) a strict, regulated plan (such as diet, exercise, or other activity) designed to reach certain goals. In cancer treatment, a plan to treat cancer.
- pleura
- (pler-uh) the membrane around the lungs and lining of the chest cavity. (Pleural mesothelioma.)
- diagnosis
- identifying a disease by its signs or symptoms, and by using imaging procedures and laboratory findings. The earlier a diagnosis of cancer is made, the better the chance for long-term survival.
- chemotherapy
- (key-mo-THER-uh-pee) treatment with drugs to destroy cancer cells. Chemotherapy is often used with surgery or radiation to treat cancer when the cancer has spread, when it has come back (recurred), or when there is a strong chance that it could recur.
- cancer
- malignancy; a group of diseases typified by abnormal, generally out-of-control, cell growth.
- mesothelioma
- a tumor derived from mesothelial tissue, such as the peritoneum (lining the abdomen) or pleura (lining the lungs). More on mesothelioma.
- pemetrexed
- chemotheraputic agent that interferes with a crucial process that allows cancer cells to reproduce and spread. Specifically, pemetrexed stops the production of three enzymes that are required to feed the cancer cell. Often used in combination with cisplatin. Marketed under the name ALIMTA. See: Alimta.
