Phase III Study of Pemetrexed in Combination With Cisplatin Versus Cisplatin Alone in Patients With Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma.

Purpose: Patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma, a rapidly progressing malignancy with a median survival time of 6 to 9 months, have previously responded poorly to chemotherapy. We conducted a phase III trial to determine whether treatment with pemetrexed and cisplatin results in survival time superior to that achieved with cisplatin alone.

Patients And Methods: Chemotherapy-naive patients who were not eligible for curative surgery were randomly assigned to receive pemetrexed 500 mg/m and cisplatin 75 mg/m on day 1, or cisplatin 75 mg/m on day 1.

Combined etoposide, ifosfamide, and cisplatin in the treatment of patients with advanced thymoma and thymic carcinoma. A French experience.

Introduction: The value of a nonanthracyclin regimen in thymic carcinoma and malignant thymoma is not well defined. These regimens may be useful in some patients, particularly with cardiac diseases. The objective of this study is to evaluate the response rate, progression free survival, overall survival and toxicity of combined etoposide, ifosfamide, and cisplatin in patients with advanced thymoma and thymic carcinoma.

[Environmental cancer: malignant pleural mesothelioma].

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) remains an aggressive tumour, but medical interest has recently evolved from almost nihilism to a real interest. Significant advances are observed in the pathologic diagnosis, the staging, the knowledge of the mesothelial carcinogenesis, the identification of biological markers with potential interest in diagnosis or in treatment. Proper management implies the participation of the general population since the implementation of administrative procedures for social and economical compensation.

Phase II study of vinflunine in malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Purpose: Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a disease of increasing incidence for which treatment options are limited. This study reports the clinical efficacy data for vinflunine, a novel microtubule inhibitor, in MPM.

Patients And Methods: Patients with a histologically confirmed diagnosis of MPM were eligible for enrollment onto this multicenter phase II trial if they had not received prior chemotherapy or radiotherapy and had measurable lesions by Response Evaluation Criteria in Solid Tumors (RECIST) criteria.

[Malnutrition in cancer patients].

Malnutrition is common in cancer patients. Many factors contribute to weight loss: some of them can be related to diminished dietary intake, while others are more associated with metabolic changes induced by systemic inflammatory responses. This is why at a specific phase during the course of development, some cancers will benefit from nutritional support, while in theory, and others will benefit from anti-inflammatory treatment.

[Asbestos-related occupational cancers].

Due to its remarkable physical properties asbestos has been widely used in the industry. It is estimated that 25% of present French retired workers have been occupationally exposed to asbestos. A causal relationship between asbestos exposure and respiratory cancers is established since 1955 for lung cancer, and since 1960 for pleural mesothelioma.

[Management of emesis in cancer patients].

Nausea and vomiting are often seen in cancer patients. They can be acute (induced by chemotherapy or radiotherapy..

Malignant mesothelioma. Medical oncology: standards, new trends, trials--the French experience.

Clinical trials investigating new trends in the treatment of stage I and II malignant mesothelioma have shown both intra-pleural immunotherapy and systemic chemo-immunotherapy to be efficacious. Intra-pleural gamma-interferon (gamma-IFN) therapy was associated with tolerable toxicity and an overall response (ORR) rate of 19%, while treatment with intra-pleural recombinant interleukin-2 (IL-2) was more toxic, but yielded an ORR of 47% in phase I trial and 55% in a phase II study. The association of intravenous cisplatin and subcutaneous alpha-interferon (alpha-IFN) was also associated with an encouraging ORR of 40% and a median survival of 12 months.

Phase III study of pemetrexed in combination with cisplatin versus cisplatin alone in patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma.

Purpose: Patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma, a rapidly progressing malignancy with a median survival time of 6 to 9 months, have previously responded poorly to chemotherapy. We conducted a phase III trial to determine whether treatment with pemetrexed and cisplatin results in survival time superior to that achieved with cisplatin alone.

Patients And Methods: Chemotherapy-naive patients who were not eligible for curative surgery were randomly assigned to receive pemetrexed 500 mg/m2 and cisplatin 75 mg/m2 on day 1, or cisplatin 75 mg/m2 on day 1.

[Management of dyspnea in the cancer patient].

Dyspnea is a very common symptom in cancer patients. It is an important symptom because it interferes with patient's quality of life and because its treatment is often difficult. Dyspnea may be defined as an uncomfortable awareness of breathing.

[Current insights in malignant pleural mesothelioma].

Faced with the rising incidence of malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM), the medical community is now busy to improve the care for this pathology. Although there is still no unanimously recognized therapy for MPM, long survival has been observed for some patients treated with associated therapies (surgery + radiotherapy + chemotherapy). However, the detection and the aggressive care of early stages MPM must be justified by a demonstrated survival improvement with conservation of a good quality of life.