Medication Therapy For Mesothelioma Patient

Mesothelioma Medication Summary

Therapy for mesothelioma patient options for the management of malignant mesothelioma include surgery, chemotherapy, radiation, and multimodality treatment. Currently, no therapy for mesothelioma patient is considered standard. The standard methods of surgery, radiation, or chemotherapy alone have not improved survival.

Pemetrexed disodium was approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma in unresectable disease and those who are not candidates for curative surgery. Several trials from a combination drug to therapy with pemetrexed have been performed. Hughes showed a 32% response rate using pemetrexed 500 mg/m2 and carboplatin (AUC-5) on an every 21 day schedule. An interesting combination of drugs, including raltitrexed and oxaliplatin, has shown a response rate of 20% in previously mesothelioma medications treated patients.