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The presentation at the recent meeting of the American Society of Clinical Oncology of the results of the largest phase III trial in malignant pleural mesothelioma has aroused renewed interest in the treatment of this cancer. What are the implications for the ongoing UK mesothelioma trial?
Malignant pleural mesothelioma has become a mainstream cancer. This is partly due to the increasing incidence,1,2 but is also a result of the advances being made in its treatment. This summer the American Society of Clinical Oncology Annual Meeting plenary session included a clinical research paper on malignant pleural mesothelioma for the first time.3 In fact, this may well have been the first oral presentation on the disease at this important international meeting. The reason for the increased interest is that the study presented is the largest phase III randomised trial reported in malignant pleural mesothelioma. The trial, which recruited internationally and was led by researchers at the University of Chicago, showed a positive clinical benefit for an experimental arm based on a novel chemotherapy drug. But what do these data mean for respiratory physicians, oncologists and patients, and is this a definitive result? What effect, if any, does this trial result have on the ongoing UK mesothelioma trial?
The University of Chicago multicentre trial compared a combination of pemetrexed and cisplatin chemotherapy with a control arm of single …