Researchers affiliated with a multi-center U.S. trial reported in the July 20, 2008 issue of the Journal of Clinical Oncology that the combination of Alimta® (pemetrexed) and Gemzar® (gemcitabine) was active in patients with peritoneal mesothelioma.

Peritoneal mesothelioma is much less common than pleural mesothelioma, making up less than 20% of all cases. Moreover, the latency period for peritoneal mesothelioma (sometimes referred to as abdominal mesothelioma) appears to be 20-30 years, which is shorter than the latent period for pleural mesothelioma. The most common treatment strategy for peritoneal mesothelioma involves a multimodality approach with surgical debunking followed by systemic and/or intraperitoneal chemotherapy.

Due to the relative rarity of this disease, controlled trials of various treatment options are not available for peritoneal mesothelioma. Therefore, few studies of chemotherapy for peritoneal mesothelioma, treatment regimens are derived from studies in patients with pulmonary mesothelioma.

This current study involved 20 patients treated between 2002 and 2004. Patients received Alimta and Gemzar every 21 days. In addition, patients also received folic acid, vitamin B12, and dexamethasone. The results from the study are listed below.

- The overall response rate was 15%.

- The disease control rate was 50%.

- The median time to disease progression was 10.4 months.

- The median survival time was 26.8 months.

- Toxicities appeared to be tolerable but with a grade 3-4 neutropenia rate of 60%.

The researchers have concluded that Gemzar and Alimta is an active regimen that is an alternative to standard therapies. This is one of the first studies devoted to systemic chemotherapy treatment of peritoneal mesothelioma and provides important baseline information.

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In the June 10 edition of the British Journal of Cancer, researchers announced that a combination of two treatments resulted in effective palliative care for elderly mesothelioma patients.  Following studies on the drug Alimta, Italian researchers issued a blend of Alimta and the drug Paraplatin to 178 patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma.  Overall, the one-year survival rate was 64% and the disease control rate was 76%.

The subjects of the study were also examined according to age.  Forty-eight of the patients were over 70 years old; in this group, the disease control rate was 60%, compared to a 67% rate in the younger group.  Time to disease progression was 7.2 months versus 7.5 months, and median survival was 10.7 versus 13.9 months for the older age group versus the younger age group, respectively.

Because these data were not significantly different, the treatment regimen was determined to be equally effective among elderly and younger mesothelioma patients.  These findings indicate that age should not restrict the use of the Alimta/Paraplatin combination in mesothelioma patients.

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Eli Lilly & Co. said giving advanced lung cancer patients its Alimta drug after chemotherapy increased patients' survival without tumor recurrence or progression.

The preliminary study results were released ahead of the company's presentation later this month at the 44th annual American Society of Clinical Oncology (ASCO) meeting in Chicago.

The trial compared the safety and effectiveness of Alimtra versus a placebo in 663 patients with stage IIIB/IV non-small cell lung cancer, or NSCLC, whose disease had not progressed after four rounds of chemotherapy. Patients given Alimtra lived 4.3 months without their tumors returning or progressing, compared with 2.6 months for patients taking placebo.For more, click here.

What is the difference between lung cancer and mesothelioma? This is a common question in the minds of many patients, especially after a diagnosis.

Lung cancer and mesothelioma, though similar, are not the same disease. Lung cancer forms in the lung tissue itself, whereas mesothelioma is a cancer that forms in the lung lining.

There are two main types of primary lung cancer: small cell and non-small cell. Small cell lung cancer is named for the tiny size of the tumor cells: most of the cell is occupied by its nucleus. This type of lung cancer spreads very rapidly, so it is typically treated with chemotherapy. Small cell lung cancer is linked very closely with smoking. It is rare for non-smokers to develop this type of cancer.

There are a few kinds of non-small cell lung cancers, but they are all physiologically similar. They respond to treatment differently than small cell lung cancer, and they account for about 85% of all lung cancer cases. Non-small cell lung cancers include:

-Squamous cell carcinoma: linked very closely to smoking and develops in the lung airways

-Adenocarcinoma: develops in the outerairways and the glandular secretory tissue

-Large cell and undifferentiated carcinoma: can develop in any part of the lung

Secondary lung cancer is the term given to cancer that has spread from other organs to the lungs. Because of the high blood supply there, cancers can easily move to the lungs.

Treatments for mesothelioma and lung cancer can sometimes be the same. The drug Alimta, for example, can be used to treat both mesothelioma and non-small cell lung cancers.

To learn more about mesothelioma, click here. For more information on lung cancer, visit the National Cancer Institute website.

Today in Australia, asbestos campaigner Bernie Banton was honored by friends and family during the International Day of Mourning for Dead and Injured Workers.  Banton spent much of his lifetime advocating for asbestos justice by working for changes in compensation legislation and fighting to have the mesothelioma drug Alimta included on the Pharmaceutical Benefits Scheme.  He died last November at age 61 from mesothelioma.

Mourners gathered today at Reflection Park in Sydney's Darling Harbor.  Reverend Bruce Banton said of his brother, "My brother Bernie was one who stood up and was counted and stood for what he felt was right, and right until the end of his life he cared for others.''

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