Treating Mesothelioma with Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy, which uses drugs to kill mesothelioma cancer cells, can be given in pill form or injected into a vein or a muscle. This treatment works via your bloodstream and can kill cancer cells throughout your body. In mesothelioma treatment, chemotherapy may be injected directly into the chest (intrapleural chemotherapy).

New Drug Treatments offer hope

The FDA has recently approved a new drug called AlimtaŽ that offers new hope for victims of mesothelioma. Doctors have found that patients using AlimtaŽ along with the anti-cancer drug PlatinolŽ (cisplatin) experienced measurable improvement in their symptoms, including less pain and shortness of breath. Trials also indicate that patients who use this treatment may live up to 30% longer.

Doctors are also reporting success in combining AlimtaŽ with a drug called GemcitabineŽ. Ask your doctor about using this new drug in one of these combinations. He or she may also be able to help you locate a clinical trial in your area. Visit the U.S. government's Clinical Trials website: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ct/show/NCT00061477?order=32