A more targeted form of chemotherapy treatment could offer hope to those suffering with the incurable asbestos related cancer, mesothelioma.
The chemotherapy drug known as pemetrexed (Alimta) can be administered directly into the pleural cavity where most forms of mesothelioma develop. It is thought that this more focused approach to treatment could reduce the spread of tumour growth in patients.
Expert scientists based in Japan have recently conducted a fresh study to be considered alongside the vast amount of research covering liposomal pemetrexed, a form of the chemotherapy drug that encloses molecules into tiny bubble-like forms known as liposomes.
Pemetrexed is considered to be the most commonly used mesothelioma chemotherapy drug in the world, although worryingly, three quarters of patients in receipt of the treatment fail to respond to it.
It is thought that liposomal pemetrexed allows for the drug to infiltrate the mesothelioma more effectively, resulting in maximum damage to cancerous cells, whilst at the same time limiting the adverse affect on unaffected cells. The experts at the Tokushima University believe that this could result in more effective mesothelioma treatment with patients experiencing fewer adverse side effects.
The researchers at the University tested various types of pemetrexed encapsulated in either a cholesterol-containing liposome or a cholesterol-fee type.
Both forms of the drug were then delivered into the pleural cavities of mice infected with mesothelioma, a cancer associated with the inhalation of asbestos dust.
The study reported that the cholesterol-free version of pemetrexed, “drastically inhibited the tumour growth in the pleural cavity” while the form free from cholesterol coating had not real positive affect in restricting mesothelioma tumour growth.
As with any form of chemotherapy treatment, the dilemma for treatment medical experts is to ensure that as many cancerous cells are destroyed whilst at the same time preserving health cells unaffected by the mesothelioma. Although it is generally thought that pemetrexed is successful in killing mesothelioma cells, the high does required to achieve such results can cause problematic side effects for sufferers.
The researchers from Japan concluded that the process of encapsulating pemetrexed in a liposomal coating could potentially result in a safer form of mesothelioma treatment, leading to more positive results. The author of the study, Hidenori Ando based at the Institute of Biomedical Sciences at the University confirmed:-
“ This therapeutic strategy of direct intrapleural administration of liposomal pemetrexed….. might be a promising therapeutic approach to conquering the poor prognosis for malignant pleural mesothelioma”
It is hoped that many mesothelioma sufferers will benefit from the researchers’ findings leading to longer longevity and improved quality of life.
Source
Ando, H, et al, “Advanced therapeutic approach for the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma via the intrapleural administration of liposomal pemetrexed”, 14th October 2015, Journal of Controlled Release.
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