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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