Vinflunine, also known as Javlor, is a drug which is being studied in the treatment of bladder cancer, breast cancer, non-small cell lung cancer, as well as other types of cancer, including mesothelioma. The results of a recent vinflunine study reported in the October 20th issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology (J Clin Oncol 2007; 25:4751-56), showed encouraging response and survival rates in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma. In a phase II study of first-line vinflunine therapy, researchers measured the overall response rate, progression-free survival, and overall survival of 67 patients with pleural mesothelioma. The median progression-free survival rate of study participants was 3.2 months, the median overall survival rate was 10.8 months and the 1-year survival rate was 36.9%. The vinflunine was generally well tolerated; only 10% of cycles were delayed due to hematologic toxicity, non-study-drug-related adverse event, or other reasons. Based on the results of the study, the authors suggested that vinflunine be further evaluated in malignant pleural mesothelioma.