[Gemcitabine improved QOL and survival in a case of diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma].

Diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma is a disease with poor prognosis, and no standard therapy for inoperable cases has been established. There are several reported trials using various anticancer drugs, but their sample sizes were small and none documented the drugs' effectiveness. Recently, some reports revealed that gemcitabine (GEM), which has been demonstrated to be effective for the treatment of non-small cell lung carcinoma, was effective in cases of diffuse malignant pleural mesothelioma.