Nintedanib, an angiogenesis inhibitor, is being investigated as a first-line treatment for patients with unresectable malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM). Although it is estimated that malignant mesothelioma represents less than 1% of all cancers, it is a fatal asbestos-associated malignancy , and patients with MPM tend to be difficult to treat.
The drug, which targets multiple receptors including vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), fibroblast growth factor (FGF), and platelet-derived growth factor (PDGF), is being administered in combination with pemetrexed and cisplatin in the phase III, multicenter, international LUME-Meso clinical trial (NCT01907100).
“The current median survival of epithelioid MPM is about 15 months for most patients. Other trials have shown an improvement in overall survival, perhaps partially due to improved supportive care and secondary therapy,” said Nicholas J. Vogelzang, MD, a medical oncologist at the Comprehensive Cancer Centers of Nevada, the medical director for the Genitourinary Research Committee through US Oncology Research, and the vice chair of SWOG, a clinical trials network.
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Source: Angiogenesis Inhibitor Tested in Mesothelioma Trial
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