Patients Being Recruited For New Columbia University Mesothelioma Treatment Study

By Aaron Poehler

Published on July 03, 2008

Researchers are currently seeking pleural mesothelioma patients for a new clinical research study to investigate the possibilities of a targeted radiation and chemotherapy protocol in treatment of the disease.

The study, to be conducted at the Mesothelioma Center of the Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center at New York-Presbyterian Hospital and Columbia University Medical Center, will explore whether a combination of chemotherapy and radiation may be successful in treating the fatal disease by targeting cells on the surface of affected lungs while sparing healthy tissue. It is hoped that the new treatment will help preserve the quality of life of mesothelioma victims and improve treatment outcomes while avoiding the need for major surgery. The current standard treatment for mesothelioma is to remove the affected lung.

Mesothelioma is a form of cancer which has been directly tied to asbestos exposure. Pleural mesothelioma is most common form of the disease, accounting for around three-quarters of mesothelioma victims.

It is estimated that over 25 million Americans were exposed to asbestos between 1940 and 1979, and current trends indicate that the number of American citizens diagnosed with the disease may continue to rise in the near future. While incidence of mesothelioma is relatively rare, affecting approximately 15 people per million in the United States in 2004, the disease can occur between 20 to 50 years after asbestos exposure.

 

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