Researchers Say Third Drug Makes Mesothelioma Chemotherapy More Effective, According to Surviving Mesothelioma
Raleigh, NC (PRWEB) January 23, 2016 -- French doctors conducting a six-year study on a new way of treating malignant mesothelioma with chemotherapy say bevacizumab (brand name Avastin) appears to help patients live longer. The results of their study have just been published and are the subject of a new article on the Surviving Mesothelioma website. Click here to read it now.
As part of the Mesothelioma Avastin Cisplatin Pemetrexed Study (MAPS), 448 French mesothelioma patients were divided into two groups - those who received the standard combination of pemetrexed (Alimta) and cisplatin and those that also received Avastin.
“Addition of bevacizumab to pemetrexed plus cisplatin significantly improved overall survival in malignant pleural mesothelioma at the cost of expected manageable toxic effects,” writes lead author Gerard Zalcman, MD, an oncologist and researcher with the University of Caen.
According to the report published in The Lancet, patients in the Avastin group lived an average of 2.7 months longer than those in the standard chemotherapy group, achieving the longest overall survival ever seen in a major controlled mesothelioma trial.
“Although this is clearly not a cure for mesothelioma, these results are encouraging, especially given the marginal effectiveness of the standard chemotherapy regimen for mesothelioma,” says Alex Strauss, Managing Editor of Surviving Mesothelioma.
For more information on the MAPS trial and how the results could impact mesothelioma treatment now and in the future, see A New Standard of Care for Mesothelioma? now available on the Surviving Mesothelioma website.
Zalcman, G, et al “Bevacizumab for newly diagnosed pleural mesothelioma in the Mesothelioma Avastic Cisplatin Pemetrexed Study (MAPS): a randomized controlled, open-label, phase 3 trial.”, December 21, 2015, The Lancet, Epub ahead of print, http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(15)01238-6/abstract
For nearly ten years, Surviving Mesothelioma has brought readers the most important and ground-breaking news on the causes, diagnosis and treatment of mesothelioma. All Surviving Mesothelioma news is gathered and reported directly from the peer-reviewed medical literature. Written for patients and their loved ones, Surviving Mesothelioma news helps families make more informed decisions.
Michael Ellis, Cancer Monthy, http://www.survivingmesothelioma.com, +1 (919) 570-8595, [email protected]
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