From Osaka Prefectural Med Ctr: Mesothelioma chemotherapy with and without pemetrexed

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22287752

Anticancer Res. 2012 Feb;32(2):609-13.
A Retrospective Study of Chemotherapy with and without Pemetrexed in Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma.
Higashiguchi M, Suzuki H, Hirashima T, Kobayashi M, Goya S, Okamoto N, Matsuura Y, Tamiya M, Morishita N, Tsumori T, Kawase I.
Source
Department of Thoracic Malignancy, Osaka Prefectural Medical Center for Respiratory and Allergic Diseases, 3-7-1 Habikino Habikino-shi, Osaka, 583-8588 Japan. puer_aeternus_0308@goo.jp.

Abstract
BACKGROUND:
The current standard first-line chemotherapy for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is pemetrexed and cisplatin. However, other regimens, with or without a platinum agent, are reported to be effective in the treatment of MPM.

PATIENTS AND METHODS:
Patients who were diagnosed with MPM and treated with chemotherapy between January 1999 and June 2010 at the Osaka Prefectural Medical Center for Respiratory and Allergic Diseases were studied, and the outcomes of these patients were retrospectively analyzed in relation to therapy.

RESULTS:
In total, 48 patients with MPM (42 men and 6 women) treated with chemotherapy were included in the current analysis. The median survival time (MST) and one-year survival rate in the pemetrexed-containing group were 541 days and 63.2%, respectively. The MST and one-year survival rate in the non-pemetrexed group were 516 days and 66.7%, respectively. Overall survival did not differ significantly with respect to the pemetrexed-containing regimen.

CONCLUSION:
The superiority of pemetrexed-containing regimens is equivocal. Non-pemetrexed-containing regimens may be potent alternatives.