Mesothelioma Patients May Benefit From Second Pemetrexed-based Chemotherapy

A new study conducted by a team of Italian researchers tested the effectiveness of pemetrexed-based chemotherapy (PBC) as a second-line treatment for mesothelioma cancer patients whose cancer shows at least a partial response to initial chemo. PBC is already effective for some patients, however no drugs have been approved yet for second-line treatment when the cancer continues to progress after first-line chemotherapy.

The study found that mesothelioma tumors shrunk or at least stopped growing in nearly half of patients (48%), and the median survival rate was 10.5 months after the treatment. Researchers also determined that the patients whose tumors stopped growing for at least 12 months after their first round of PBC treatment were more likely to respond well in the second round. Although the role of second-line therapy in mesothelioma needs further evaluation, this study suggests the possible therapeutic role of re-treatment PBC.