Australian researchers may have made a major breakthrough in finding a cure for mesothelioma.

Imiquimod, a cream that is usually applied to treat skin cancer, has helped to cure mesothelioma tumors found in mice. The cream combined with another drug, antiCD40, has triggered a response from the immune system that attacked the cancer. Half of the treated animals were cured even after the tumors had reached advanced stages.

The supervisor of the research, Dr. Andrew Currie, said the discovery was a major breakthrough in possibly finding a cure for mesothelioma. “This combination is so attractive because one of these drugs is already commercially available and the other is being tested in clinical trials,” Dr Currie said. “That means the time-frame for undertaking our own clinical trial is minimized because the safety of the drugs has already been investigated.''