Source: DocGuide.com

A study presented at the 14th European Cancer Conference found that pemetrexed, marketed by Eli Lilly & Company as Alimta^®, used alone or with a platinum agent, shows good response rates and disease control rates in patients with peritoneal mesothelioma, the second-most common variant of mesothelioma.

The study is one of the first to look specifically at patients with peritoneal mesothelioma. While all forms of mesothelioma are rare in the general population, the most common type found, pleural mesothelioma, has been the most studied and is the only form of the disease where treatment regimens have been codified.

The present study looked at 109 patients with peritoneal mesothelioma and followed their course of treatment with pemetrexed alone or in combination with cisplatin or carboplatin, which are each platinum agents. All patients received the clinically standard supplements of vitamin B12 and folic acid, as well as dexamethasone for prophylaxis.

Patients who received the single agent pemetrexed treatment had a 12.5% overall response rate and a 50% disease control rate, while those who received the combination of pemetrexed and a platinum compound had a 20% or greater response rate and a 76% or greater disease control rate.

Labels: mesothelioma