Chemotherapy for mesothelioma

Abstract

Mesothelioma is a rare but highly aggressive neoplasm that develops primarily from the serosal cells of the pleural, peritoneal and pericardial cavities. In the past, the approaches to mesothelioma treatments are mainly surgical resection and radiation therapy. However, a number of chemotherapy agents, particularly those employed in the treatment of non-small cell lung cancer, have shown improvements in both response rate and overall survival of mesothelioma patients. Presently, selected chemotherapy agents are recommended for treating the patients whose disease is either unresectable or who are not otherwise candidates for curative surgery. This review article describes two chemotherapy agents, namely, pemetrexed and vinorelbine, for the treatment of mesothelioma as either single agents or combination with platinum-based compounds.

Key words: chemotherapy, mesothelioma, pemetrexed, vinorelbine