An Italian study involving the effectiveness of Alimta (pemetrexed) and Paraplatin (carboplatin) was revealed at the 12thWorld Conference on Lung Cancer in 2007 and recently published in the British Journal of Cancer in June of this year. The study states that this combination of drugs is highly effective in pleural mesothelioma patients aged 65 or older.
Pleural mesothelioma is a fatal type of cancer affecting the pleural lining of the lungs. It is conclusively caused by prior exposure to asbestos. Pleural mesothelioma has a latent period of between twenty and fifty years, and the majority of individuals who receive a mesothelioma diagnosis are between the ages of 50 and 70 years old. The survival rate associated with pleural mesothelioma is less than one percent, and most mesothelioma sufferers will unfortunately surrender to this aggressive form of cancer in less than two years following their initial diagnosis.
The Alimta and Paraplatin duo has a one-year survival rate of over 60% and is very effective in older mesothelioma patients, with a median survival rate at about 14 months for individuals in the older age group (age 70 or older) as opposed to a survival rate of 11 months in participants in the younger age group.
There is presently no known cure for pleural mesothelioma. However, various mesothelioma treatment methods, including chemotherapy and other drug combinations, may control the disease and lessen the presence of mesothelioma symptoms in patients.
The Mesothelioma & Asbestos Awareness Center acknowledges the combination of Alimta and Paraplatin as an effective method of mesothelioma treatment and expresses the ongoing urgency for increased funding for mesothelioma-related studies and research.
The Mesothelioma & Asbestos Awareness Center is the web’s leading resource for information related to asbestos exposure, mesothelioma, mesothelioma treatment, top doctors, and more. For additional information, please visit the Mesothelioma & Asbestos Awareness Center at http://www.maacenter.org/.
