New
Clinical Trial Studying Chemotherapy & Radiation Treatment Protocols
for Pleural Mesothelioma
(September 5th, 2010)
 A
new clinical trial to study alternative radiation & chemotherapy
treatments for pleural mesothelioma is underway at the The Mesothelioma
Center within the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at
New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Medical Center.
Dr. Robert Taub, the pioneer of the study and director of the Mesothelioma
Center at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia and professor of clinical
medicine at Columbia University (College of Surgeons Department)
quotes, "Current surgical and chemotherapy treatments of patients
with malignant pleural mesothelioma are unsatisfactory, and have
not been shown to significantly prolong survival. In this study,
we will investigate whether a combination of chemotherapy and radiation
targeted directly at the lung's lining can improve outcomes while
avoiding surgery. In addition, this approach has shown to have minimal
toxic side effects compared to systemic chemotherapy."
He adds, "This trial is also significant because our center
is the only one nationwide that is offering this experimental therapy
to treat pleural mesothelioma. We are very focused on offering these
patients the best treatment that medical technology can offer while
simultaneously working to preserve quality of life." Scientists
involved in the clinical trial also hope that the radiation therapy
being tested will malignant or cancerous cells on the surface of
the lungs while sparing the lungs themselves & other vital nearby
organs.
Dr. Rashid Fawwaz, radiologist at NewYork-Presbyterian/Columbia
and professor of clinical radiology at Columbia University College
of Physicians and Surgeons quotes, "Delivery of radiation therapy
directly into the pleural cavity is a strategy that has been employed
since 1945. Today, direct injection of radioactive isotope P-32
may prove to be a significant and effective therapeutic approach
for selected mesothelioma patients. Overall, it is hoped that this
study will decrease the need for patients to undergo radical surgery."
Here are the characteristics of how this clinical trial is going
to work.
i) Patients will receive doses of chemotherapy drugs such as cisplatin
and doxorubicin via surgically implanted catheters.
ii) Selected patients will also receive intravenous (injected)
chemotherapy drugs including cisplatin and pemetrexed.
iii) All patients will receive radiotherapy treatments using a
P-32 radioisotope.
iv) Patients can also elect to receive additional surgery including
complete removal of lungs or damaged areas of the lung linings.
For more information, interested patients can visit the New York
Presbyterian Hospital @ http://www.nyp.org |
