Clinical Trials For Mesothelioma: Who Are Involved, Stages, and Mesothelioma Clinical Trial Reports

By S. Callaghan


What is a clinical trial?

A Clinical Trial is a research study done on humans following a very strict protocol. The goal of a clinical trial is to develop new drugs and treatments for all types of diseases, most especially fatal ones such as Mesothelioma.

Before any medicine is considered effective and safe for the general public to take, it has to undergo a thorough process in a clinical trial.

Who are involved in Mesothelioma clinical trials?

The people involved in these biomedical studies are the researcher, who make up the very detailed plan of how the procedure shall be done, the volunteer who will be the subject of the trial, and the review board who usually consists of scientists, oncologists, other physicians, and nurses.

The review board is indirectly involved with the procedures, but it monitors the trial and gives an annual formal review. The volunteers who participate are in most cases, patients diagnosed with Mesothelioma and other types of malignant cancer. Most mesothelioma patients resort to clinical trials as their last hope for a cure.

What are the stages a clinical trial undergoes?

To avoid confusing the term 'stages' with the gravity or extent of the disease, we shall use the term 'phases'.

Generally, a clinical trial has three phases, although a fourth phase is now being considered for the purpose of post-marketing studies. The fourth phase basically checks on the effectiveness of the FDA-approved drug which had already gone through all three phases.

The first phase determines the drug's correct dosage and focuses primarily on safety, rather than the drug's efficacy. The test is done on a small group of 20-80 persons for the first phase.

The second phase verifies if the new drug has a definite effect against a particular disease. This is also where the ideal dosage of the drug is evaluated and the results of the first phase is confirmed. The test is conducted on a larger group of people around 100-300 individuals.

The third phase compares the new drug against the existing standard treatment for a particular disease or illness. The new drug is combined with other drugs to determine side effects, and different doses are tested for the same purpose and to check the efficacy of the drug. This last phase is conducted on a large scale where up to 3,000 people are participants.

Do all Mesothelioma patients have to undergo these clinical trials?

Mesothelioma patients are in no way obliged to participate in biomedical studies and researches. Oncologists may recommend these, especially when patients are considering new types of treatment, but the decision is up to the patient and the patient's family.

Trial reports on Mesothelioma cases raise hope for Mesothelioma patients. The report summarizes the results of the research procedure and is normally published in medical journals for evaluation, and to serve as the basis of continued experimentation by other health professionals.

There are different types of Mesothelioma, would a single successful clinical trial be enough for all types of this disease?

There were Mesothelioma Clinical Trial reports conducted for different types and extent of Mesothelioma. A few examples are the following:

For progressive malignant Pleural Mesothelioma (developed in the lining of the lungs), Phase III Vorinostat trial was conducted where physicians use a chemotherapy drug called Vorinostat to kill cancerous cells and stop the cell's division by blocking enzymes that are needed for the cancerous cells to multiply.

For advanced malignant Mesothelioma, Phase II Pemetrexed Disodium with Gemcitabine is a trial conducted to examine the effects of chemotherapy drugs such as Gemcitabine and Pemetrexed Disodium on recurrent malignant Mesothelioma.

For patients with unresectable malignant Mesothelioma, Phase II AZD2171 clinical trial was conducted so doctors can investigate the use of such chemotherapy drugs for inhibiting enzymes and block the flow of blood into the tumor. The trial was dedicated to help patients suffering from advanced, sarcotamous, epithelial, and recurrent malignant Mesothelioma.

Know more about the facts behind Mesothelioma Cancer, Cause, and Treatments.

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LINKS

• Lung Cancer:: Prevention, Management, and Emerging Therapies (Current Clinical Oncology)
• Emerging Cancer Therapy: Microbial Approaches and Biotechnological Tools (Wiley Series in Biotechnology and Bioengineering)
• Cutaneous Wound Healing
• Atlas of Diagnostic Oncology: Expert Consult - Online and Print, 4e (Expert Consult Title: Online + Print)
• Gene-Based Therapies for Cancer (Current Cancer Research)

How to Reduce Pressure for Patients With Mesothelioma

By Rofiq Hidayat


Someone who is suffering from a disease not to mention the disease mesothelioma, should be able to regulate emotions. And should be more aware that the pressure of unbridled emotion and continue to accumulate can cause a variety of physical ailments.

What does it mean?

Before I answer the question above I'll tell you an analogy that I got from Dr. Anthony Fernando.
Reducing stress can use an analogy of a draft of a ship sectional, that is to overcome when the ship collision that resulted in the sinking ship. Here, the role that localizes the septum so that water does not spread.

Now you imagine that your life like a ship sectional and between your day is like a bulkhead of a ship.
Just like a ship compartment that serves to block water, every day you should be able to block out a problem.

That means you do not have to constantly analyze the past and are too worried about the future. Noteworthy is today / this problem.

How does this practice?

Within days of starting on the morning after waking, with calm yourself imagine that you close the compartment and the focus of the day yesterday looking for a solution to solving the problem on this day.
Is this not actually create new problems because we are only fixated on these days without being able to imagine the success (happiness).

My answer is NO, why? because we speak the design of a ship and used to what it ships later. So we do not just look at each partition of your life but, how and to what a ship is made.

So here we can conclude that in designing healing diseases including mesothelioma, we should not get stuck in regret the past nor fear the future, because after we design a healing solution to reduce the stress we should focus only on healing today. Is not the only focus one more problem we can get out of the problem and appropriate answers to the above when we pile up every day just is not the problem of complications in the can. Try to contemplate!

Rofiq Hidayat

On http://mesothelioma-institute.blogspot.com/

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LINKS
 

Surviving Mesothelioma and Other Cancers: A Patient's Guide


About the Author Paul Kraus was born in 1944 in Austria and migrated with his parents to Australia as a young child. He received his BA at Macquarie University and a Master of Arts and Education from the University of Sydney. For most of his working life he has been a high school history teacher. It was during a summer vacation job as a university student that he was exposed to asbestos. Over thirty years later he was diagnosed with mesothelioma, the asbestos related cancer. Today, he works as a freelance writer and journalist. He, his wife and their two miniature schnauzers live north of Sydney in the city of Newcastle. More information about Paul Kraus and his story can be found at his website: survivingmesothelioma.com

Surviving Mesothelioma and Other Cancers: A Patient's Guide

100 Questions & Answers About Mesothelioma, Second Edition

Whether you re a newly diagnosed Mesothelioma patient, a survivor, or a friend or relative of either, this book offers help. Completely revised and updated for this second edition, this is the only book to provide the doctor s and patient s views. 100 Questions & Answers About Mesothelioma, Second Edition gives you authoritative, practical answers to your questions about treatment options, post-treatment quality of life, sources of support, legal options, and much more. This outstanding team of authors led by a world-class lung disease expert and including an insider s comments from the wife and caregiver of a patient provides an invaluable resource for anyone coping with the physical and emotional turmoil of this frightening disease.

100 Questions & Answers About Mesothelioma, Second Edition

Vitamin B Could Prevent Lung Cancer

By Dr. Anita Brown

Cancer of the lung is a life-threatening condition which is the most common cancer across the world and a leading cause of death. Considering this fact today's research is focused on identifying the ways and means to prevent the disease. Avoiding smoking and exposure to various carcinogens are well-established preventive measures. A recent study came up with an interesting finding and suggested that specific type of diet also help to prevent occurrence of lung cancer. Vitamin B can prevent lung cancer.

This study was conducted in France with funding from World Cancer Research Fund and the European Commission. The study was based on the fact that Vitamin B regulates the expression of genes and also preserves the integrity of DNA within the cells. Any disturbances in its function may invite carcinogenesis (process of cancer development). The study included a large cohort 519,978 persons and participants were asked to fill up a standard questionnaire with questions on their diet. Of these participants, 385,747 provided a blood sample.

The participants were divided in two groups: Cases- persons who developed lung cancer and Controls: who did not develop cancer. The investigators measured amount of different vitamin B ie; B2, B6, B9 and B12, in the blood samples and a chemical called cotinine, an indicator of recent smoking intensity.

In results, it was seen that there were 899 cases that had given a blood sample and later on developed lung cancer. The researchers then selected 1,815 matched controls. Cases were mostly male 62% and the levels of vitamin B in blood were similar between former and never smokers, but for current smokers it was lower. They had low B6, B9 and B12 levels with more depletion seen in heavy smoker compared to those who smoke fewer cigarettes.

It was also observed that there was a reduced risk of lung cancer with increasing levels of B6 and methionine. Interestingly, it was found that smokers had fewer fruits and vegetables consumption than former smokers, and there was a weak association between dietary vitamin amounts and serum levels of B2, B6 and B12.

The researchers commented that High serum measures of B6 and methionine are linked with a reduced risk of developing lung cancer by about 50%. However, it should be noted that the study has used a single blood sample at the time of recruitment and hence the level of vitamin B may not reflect day to day or long term variations in vitamin levels.

Additionally, the study said that the difference in vitamin B level between cases and controls was due to difference in absorption rater than dietary intake. In conclusion, this study needs further research to find whether diet change can or cannot affect the risk of lung cancer.

Dr. Anita Brown is a New York based physician. She actively contributes to http://www.HealthEnclave.com by writing articles on a wide range of Topic and Issues. She has a passion for writing, this combined with her educations credentials as Doctor make her an excellent Medical Writer.

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