Turkish Scientists Compare Mesothelioma Chemotherapy in New Report, According to Surviving Mesothelioma

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Cancer Monthy

Jul 15, 2015, 07:00 ET


(PRWEB) July 15, 2015 -- Doctors in one of the world’s mesothelioma hot spots say a chemotherapy combination that includes the antimetabolite gemcitabine may be just as effective as the more common pemetrexed-based treatment for advanced mesothelioma. Click here to read the full study on the Surviving Mesothelioma website.

Researchers at Eskisehir Osmangazi University in Eskisehir, Turkey compared the outcomes of 116 mesothelioma patients who
were treated with a pemetrexed combination with 30 who were treated with gemcitabine between 1999 and 2012.

“The study indicates that platinum-based gemcitabine is effective and a safe schema in malignant pleural mesothelioma,” writes study author Guntulu Ak of Eskisehir Osmangazi University.

According to the report in BMC Cancer, there were no significant differences in the outcomes or survival of the two groups of patients.

“The fact that pemetrexed is currently the top mesothelioma drug does not necessarily mean that it is the best choice for all patients,” says Alex Strauss, Managing Editor of Surviving Mesothelioma. “This study offers hope that at least one alternative combination may be just as effective for advanced mesothelioma.”

To read more about the chemotherapy comparison, including some of the reasons gemcitabine may be the preferred treatment for some mesothelioma patients, see Lower-Cost Mesothelioma Drug May Be as Effective as Gold Standard, now available on the Surviving Mesothelioma website.

Ak, G et al, “The effectiveness and safety of platinum-based pemetrexed and platinum-based gemcitabine treatment in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma”, July 9, 2015, BMC Cancer, Epub ahead of print, http://www.biomedcentral.com/1471-2407/15/510

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]