Developing tests of mesothelioma samples to find out which patients will benefit from chemotherapy

Malignant mesothelioma is a cancer that affects the lining of the chest. The development of mesothelioma has been linked to inhaled asbestos particles. Asbestos exposure was common in shipyards, construction and heating industries as well as in asbestos mines. There is commonly a time lag of 15 to 40 years between asbestos exposure and the development of mesothelioma. This explains why although asbestos is no longer used commercially, the incidence of this cancer continues to rise with an expected peak in the UK by the year 2015.

There are currently no truly effective treatments for mesothelioma. The management of mesothelioma is also very difficult. Pemetrexed (Alimta©), is a new drug that has been licensed for use in mesothelioma treatment. When combined with other standard chemotherapy agents, it can significantly shrink this tumour in about 40 per cent of patients.

Dr Abdul Razak hopes that this study will help us to understand why only some patients with mesothelioma respond to the drugpemetrexed in combination with established therapies.In the future this would firstly allow doctors to establish, at the time of diagnosis, whether a patient was likely to respond to pemetrexed or whether they should be offered an alternative treatment. Secondly, this work will help in the identification of factors that make the tumour resistant to this treatment and therefore direct research into new, more effective drugs to improve the outcome in this disease.