Loading
Adding pemetrexed to cisplatin lengthened survival by almost three months in pleural mesothelioma, making platinum-pemetrexed the first, and for many years the only, standard chemotherapy for the disease.
Phase 3 trial of 456 chemotherapy-naive patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma randomised to pemetrexed plus cisplatin or cisplatin alone, with folic acid and vitamin B12 supplementation introduced part-way through to reduce toxicity.
Median overall survival was 12.1 versus 9.3 months, response rate 41.3 versus 16.7 percent, and lung function and symptoms were better with the combination; vitamin supplementation markedly reduced severe toxicity.
Platinum-pemetrexed remains the chemotherapy backbone in mesothelioma, now combined with pembrolizumab or bevacizumab, or replaced by dual immunotherapy in non-epithelioid disease.
Shares Peritoneal mesothelioma, Journal of Clinical Oncology.
Shares Pleural mesothelioma, Pemetrexed, Cisplatin.
Shares Pemetrexed, Cisplatin.
Shares Pemetrexed, Cisplatin.
Shares Pemetrexed, Cisplatin.