Patients with mesothelioma could expect better life expectancy and overall outcomes with the results of a new drug offering hope to millions of sufferers.
The trial using the drug abemaciclib was conducted at Leicester University and led by Professor Dean Fennell. He said: ‘Mesothelioma is a nasty form of cancer, and there hasn’t been an effective treatment. Many patients are left without any options.
‘But this new treatment has shown promise in halting the progress of and, in some cases, reversing the growth of the cancer for patients who aren’t responding to chemotherapy or immunotherapy drugs. This can add precious months to their lives and allow them to live without so much pain.’
Annual rates of mesothelioma are hard to determine, with no international standard of records, but estimates place the number as higher than 30,000 deaths worldwide every year. Men are overrepresented in the figures.
Patients diagnosed with mesothelioma are often treated with chemotherapy or combined therapies, but when those stop working, Professor Fennell explains they have just months to live.
Abemaciclib is offering hope to mesothelioma sufferers by way of enabling the body to produce a cancer-fighting protein, and while it isn’t a cure, it can stop the spread of cancer and buy patients precious time.