Dr. Robert Taub and his staff at the Mesothelioma Center of New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Medical Center are recruiting pleural mesothelioma patients for a clinical trial of a new targeted radiation and chemotherapy treatment. Their center will be the only one offering this experimental therapy nationwide. Pleural mesothelioma patients typically undergo surgical and chemotherapy treatments with no significant increases in survival. According to Dr. Taub, this study will investigate "whether a combination of chemotherapy and radiation targeted directly at the lung's lining can improve outcomes while avoiding surgery." This could be good news for patients suffering from mesothelioma which is a complicated disease. Often pleural mesothelioma is difficult to diagnose and patients don't receive a diagnosis until they are in the later stages of disease. Then the treatment options are limited and a patient's prognosis is typically 6 - 18 months. Patients, families and advocates have been calling for increased funding for research which could lead to better diagnostic tests and treatment options. This clinical trial could be a step in the right direction. The study is looking for patients over the age of 18, who have not recently undergone radiation therapy or chemotherapy and have not had
Alimta chemotherapy in the past. Patients can call #212-305-6837 for more information about the study. For more details read:
Lung Cancer Trial Targets Asbestos-Related Disease.
Clinical Trial for Mesothelioma Patients