A study was released yesterday announcing that chemotherapy did not statistically increase survival rates or longevity among a group of patients with mesothelioma.

The study, appearing in this week's issue of The Lancet, states that a group of mesothelioma patients was divided into three sections: two sections received chemotherapy and symptom treatment, the other section received only symptom treatment. Symptom treatment includes painkillers, steroids, ronchodilators and palliative radiotherapy to control the cancer's effects. Of the two sections receiving chemo, one section was using four cycles of mitomycin, vinblastine and cisplatin every three weeks and the other was using one injection of vinorelbine every week for 12 weeks.

The survival rates among the three groups were so similar, that the differences were not considered to be statistically significant. When asked to rate their quality of life based on characteristics such as shortness of breath, pain, and physical functioning, patients from all three groups responded with comparable answers.

"The addition of chemotherapy to ASC offers no significant benefits in terms of overall survival or quality of life. However, exploratory analyses suggested that vinorelbine merits further investigation," the authors concluded. These preliminary results will undoubtedly spark a chain of mesothelioma investigations. To read more on the findings, click here.