Research released today by the Medical Research Council into the asbestos cancer Mesothelioma underlines the need for more research capacity in the UK to find effective treatments for the disease, says the British Lung Foundation.
The study concludes that chemotherapy offers no significant benefits in terms of overall survival or quality of life to people with the disease.
“Mesothelioma is a devastating cancer and this study underlines that the time between diagnosis and death is very short and that we urgently need more effective treatments into this and other lung cancers,“ says British Lung Foundation spokesperson Professor Mark Britton.
“It is worth noting, however, that since this trial began newer treatments are available which can extend survival times by some months, which may be of crucial importance for people with Mesothelioma in terms of the time they have to spend with their loved ones. The main lung cancers are the UK’s biggest cancer killers yet only a tiny percentage of cancer research spending goes on understanding the mechanisms of the disease and developing potential treatments. We urgently need more research capacity in the UK if we are to give hope to people who develop cancers of the lung, including asbestos-related cancer.”
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