Pricey Mesothelioma Drug May be Best Second-Line Treatment
Posted on Tuesday, Sep 27, 2011.
The chemotherapy multiple of pemetrexed (brand name Alimta) and cisplatin is typically a first-line drug treatment for patients with modernized malignant mesothelioma. But a new study on a multiple published recently in a biography Lung Cancer suggests that a reduction costly choice might be only as effective.
Researchers from Oxford, England compared pemetrexed and cisplatin to a newer multiple of raltitrexed (brand name Tomudex) and cisplatin and found that a dual combinations constructed scarcely matching formula in terms of survival in mesothelioma patients. The researchers performed baseline progression and presence rates regulating information from an progressing multi-national hearing looking during a efficacy of cisplatin with or but raltitrexed for mesothelioma. They afterwards compared these with a formula of several randomized control trials conducted given then.
“Raltitrexed and cisplatin and pemetrexed and cisplatin were not found to be statistically significantly opposite with honour to altogether response, course giveaway presence and altogether survival,” writes lead author Beth Woods in a outline of a study. In terms of cost-effectiveness, a altogether cost of a raltitrexed-based fast for mesothelioma was found to be around $21,000 per peculiarity practiced life year, compared to some-more than $42,000 for other chemotherapeutic approaches.
But it was not all bad news for a makers of Alimta. The same emanate of Lung Cancer contains another investigate on a efficacy of a pemetrexed/cisplatin multiple as a second line diagnosis for mesothelioma patients who have already been by one turn of treatment. That investigate found that a pemetrexed/cisplatin brew was an effective second-line choice for mesothelioma patients, quite those who are younger or whose disease was hold in check by a initial line chemotherapy for a year or more.
However, a Italian researchers who conducted a mesothelioma investigate counsel that it has many limitations, including a fact that it is retrospective and might simulate some preference bias. They call for additional clinical trials of pemetrexed/cisplatin as a second-line diagnosis for mesothelioma. To date, there is no customary second-line diagnosis for mesothelioma, a rarely aggressive cancer caused by asbestos.
Sources:
Zucali, PA et al, “Second-line chemotherapy in malignant pleural mesothelioma: formula of a retrospective multicenter survey”, Sep 19, 2011, Lung Cancer (Epub forward of print)
Woods, B et al, “Raltitrexed and cisplatin is cost-effective compared with pemetrexed and cisplatin in patients with virulent pleural mesothelioma”, Sep 19, 2011, Lung Cancer (Epub forward of print)
“Phase III Randomized Study of Cisplatin with or but Raltitrexed in Patients with Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma”, Dec 2007. National Cancer Institute, Clinical Trials.
