Current Treatment Options for Peritoneal Mesothelioma

Malignant peritoneal mesothelioma is a rare cancer that develops in the abdominal cavity, specifically in the mesothelial cells that form the peritoneum. Doctors and researchers have found a clear relationship between this cancer and high levels of asbestos exposure, but they have yet to find a cure.

Because of the low incidence of peritoneal mesothelioma, few studies have been conducted on experimental treatments for patients. Most treatment methods have followed those recommended for pleural mesothelioma.

A multimodality approach to treating peritoneal mesothelioma has shown encouraging results in some patients. With this method, two or more treatment options are completed at the same time, often involving the combination of surgery, chemotherapy and sometimes radiotherapy. However, this mesothelioma treatment method can only be used for a small percentage of patients that have a chance to beat the cancer.

Those diagnosed during the advanced stages of development can receive palliative treatments to help with comfort, but no standard method has been established for these patients. Palliative treatment options usually involve some form of chemotherapy and are aimed to improve the overall quality of life for the patient.

Chemotherapy drugs for peritoneal patients have included but are not limited to cisplatin, doxorubicin, carboplatin and pemetrexed (Alimta). In some cases, such medications have been noted to stall the progression of mesothelioma tumors.

Pemetrexed acts by disrupting the cell replication process of the cancerous tumor and slows its progression throughout the rest of the body. In 2004, pemetrexed received worldwide approval to be used in combination with cisplatin for the treatment of malignant pleural mesothelioma.  Studies have shown that pemetrexed also has a positive effect on malignant peritoneal mesothelioma cases as well.

Due to the low number of peritoneal mesothelioma patients diagnosed each year, researching this rare cancer can be difficult. Patients with peritoneal mesothelioma may be encouraged to enroll in clinical trials with the hope of improving their cancer prognosis.

Additional information about mesothelioma may be found through the Mesothelioma Center.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, October 28th, 2009 at 9:43 am and is filed under Asbestos Exposure. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS feed. Responses are currently closed, but you trackback from your own site.