SPECIAL ARTICLE: TYPES OF CHEMOTHERAPY IN MESOTHELIOMA

Alimta

Alimta is the very first chemotherapy drug to be approved by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to treat patients suffering from malignant pleural mesothelioma cancer. Also known as Pemetrexed, Alimta is administered to mesothelioma patients who are unable to undergo surgical procedures to remove cancerous tissue.

Developed in 2000, Alimta has been hailed as a "huge breakthrough" in treating mesothelioma cancer patients. In clinical trials at Britain's Newcastle Freeman Hospital, Alimta was administered to 27 British mesothelioma sufferers, most of whom were former construction workers. The use of Alimta resulted in a rapid improvement of their symptoms. Trial leader Professor Hilary Calvert stated that half of the patients experienced a decrease in tumor size and that most of the patients had marked improvement in their symptoms. Professor Calvert called the trial's findings "the best results I've seen in my career."

Alimta is most generally administered along with Cisplatin, a chemotherapy drug. Together, these two drugs have been known to extend the life of mesothelioma cancer patients by several months, and are beneficial in controlling mesothelioma symptoms, such as discomfort and breathing difficulties.

Alimta treatment occurs over a 21-day period. On the first day of treatment, Alimta is administered intravenously, which takes about fifteen minutes. Cisplatin is infused following the first dose of Alimta, but is not administered again until the 22nd day of treatment. Side effects associated with Alimta include fatigue, anemia, fever, upset stomach, and mouth sores, but certain antibiotics can control these unpleasant effects of the chemotherapy treatment.

As with any mesothelioma treatment method, your doctor must determine whether or not you are a good candidate for Alimta treatment.

Cisplatin

Cisplatin is a chemotherapy drug that was approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) in 1978 and is used to treat patients suffering from malignant pleural mesothelioma.
Cisplatin is administered when surgical procedures are not an option, and it is often used in combination with other chemotherapy drugs, including Alimta. Manufactured by Bristol Myers Squibb, Cisplatin is also used to treat ovarian and lung cancer and is a highly effective method of mesothelioma treatment that is often recommended by oncologists.

Cisplatin is administered intravenously and may be given along with other drugs, such as anti-nausea medication and antibiotics that prevent buildup of Cisplatin within the kidneys. Your doctor will determine how often you receive Cisplatin and for how long, but patients who receive Cisplatin in tandem with Alimta will follow a 21-day treatment cycle.

Because Cisplatin was developed three decades ago, the side effects associated with this drug are often much more severe. Side effects include damage to the kidneys, (which is often prevented by administering other drugs, such as a diuretic or sodium polystyrene sulfonate, during Cisplatin treatment) serious nausea, depleted levels of calcium, potassium and other nutrients, loss of appetite, tiredness, hair loss, and an increased risk of infection. Because cancer treatment in general has become so advanced since Cisplatin was first developed, doctors are generally able to control the unpleasant side effects associated with Cisplatin treatment in an effort to make the patient more comfortable.

Other drugs similar to Cisplatin include Carboplatin, generally used to treat cancer of the lung, head and neck, and Oxaliplatin, which is most often used to treat colorectal cancer.

As with any mesothelioma cancer drug, your doctor will decide whether or not Cisplatin is a beneficial option for treating your cancer.