Researchers recently published a study on a new drug to treat mesothelioma. They found the results to be encouraging.
Mesothelioma is a type of cancer that develops in the lining of the organs, typically around the lungs. Most cases of mesothelioma result from exposure to asbestos. The disease is resistant to treatment and survival rates are incredibly low.
This study was led by Professor Peter Szlosarek of Queen Mary University in London. After decades of work, Szlosarek and his team developed a drug, pegargiminase, that starves mesothelioma tumors.
Doctors and other medical staff conducted the study over four years, from 2017 to 2021 in five countries, including the United States. Half of the 249 mesothelioma patients in the study received pegargiminase and chemotherapy. The other half received chemotherapy and a placebo.
The overall survival of patients who took pegargiminase was, on average, 2 months longer than the patients who had a placebo. There was even more exciting news: three years into the study, there were four times as many patients alive who took the new drug compared to patients who took the placebo.
The development of pegargiminase is exciting. There have not been many new treatment options for mesothelioma. There will be further studies into the drug and the way it affects tumors, including other types of cancers. Pegargiminase should offer hope to mesothelioma patients and their families and possibly give a little more time against a terrible disease.
