A group of researchers from the University of Leicester have been investigating a new approach to the treatment of mesothelioma.
What is mesothelioma?
Mesothelioma is a cancer that affects the lining of the body’s organs. Most commonly, it is found in the lungs or abdomen but can also develop elsewhere in the body. Sadly, there is no known cure for the cancer and current treatment looks to improve patients’ quality of life and give as much time as possible for them to enjoy their lives with their families.
Standard mesothelioma treatment
Treatment will differ for each individual as it depends on the stage of the mesothelioma, location of the tumour and the current health of the individual patient. It is also a matter of choice and treating medical teams will set out all options, but the decision of what treatment, if any, to go for is really up to the patient. Unfortunately, some treatments have undesirable side effects and therefore, people have to weigh up the potential benefits alongside such risks.
Generally, treatment for mesothelioma includes surgery, chemotherapy and radiotherapy. Patients may opt for one of these or a combination of them. Immunotherapy may also be an option and we have helped many patients secure the funds for private immunotherapy treatment as part of their successful asbestos compensation claim, where this is unavailable on the NHS.
New treatment?
There has been great progress made in the treatment of mesothelioma, just a few years ago immunotherapy wasn’t an option for mesothelioma patients. Researchers are constantly looking into potential new treatments and carrying out studies to see if treatments are viable.
A team of researchers from the University of Lancaster has recently completed a phase 2 trial looking at the treatment of pleural mesothelioma (in the lungs). The study was funded by the University of Leicester, Asthma UK and the British Lung Foundation Partnership and the Victor Dahdaleh Foundation.
Abnormal proteins signal to cancer cells to multiply and this is how tumours grow. The drug in this trial, abemaciclib, blocks these signals and thus stops cancer cells from multiplying. The researchers found that mesothelioma patients lacked the tumour suppressor and hoped that abemaciclib would serve as a replacement of this, restoring the tumour suppressor and enabling the body to fight the cancer.
The study
27 pleural mesothelioma patients were eligible for the trial, although one was unfortunately excluded prior to the treatment starting, due to unrelated issues. Of the 26 patients who received the treatment, 14 showed disease control after 12 weeks. There were reports from most participants of adverse effects from the treatment, these included diarrhoea, vomiting and infection. One patient was unable to conclude the trial following a serious fall and one patient sadly passed away due to neutropenic sepsis.
Overall, the study concluded that it had met its primary endpoint and showed promising results for the use of abemaciclib in the treatment of pleural mesothelioma.
Despite the side effects, this is promising news for mesothelioma patients and hopefully another step closer to uncovering a much needed cure for mesothelioma.
If you require assistance in pursuing an asbestos compensation claim for mesothelioma or any other asbestos disease then please contact us today on our freephone number 0800 038 6767. Alternatively, head over to the ‘Contact Us’ page, complete the form and we will be in touch.
Source: Prof. D A Fennell et al. (2022). Abemaciclib in patients with p16ink4A-deficient mesothelioma (MiST2): a single-arm, open-label, phase 2 trial. Lancet Oncol. 2022 Feb 11;S1470-2045(22)00062-6. doi: 10.1016/S1470-2045(22)00062-6. Online ahead of print.