A novel treatment for advanced mesothelioma is safe and effective and may improve the quality of life for patients who have few treatment options, according to a research abstract presented during a virtual session of the Society of Interventional Radiology's 2020 Annual Scientific Meeting (https://www.sirmeeting.org/) on June 14. Transarterial chemoperfusion treatment for malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) comes with minimal side effects and shows promise for extending the lives of patients who have limited or no remaining treatment options. The abstract is titled “Transarterial Chemoperfusion Treatment of Unresectable Pleural Mesothelioma--Interim Results of a Phase 2 Prospective Study.” "MPM is a devastating cancer of the pleura, the membranes surrounding the lungs, that is very difficult to treat," said Bela Kis, MD, PhD, the principal investigator on the study and an interventional radiologist at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa. "The typical survival rate of patients with stage 3 and 4 MPM is around 12 months from diagnosis; but with this new treatment, we are hoping we might be able to extend patients' lives beyond that--giving them more time with friends and family." Twenty-seven patients with MPM were enrolled in the Phase II clinical trial and underwent chemoperfusion treatment. All patients had received prior chemotherapy, many of whom received multiple lines of chemotherapy. Four of the patients had prior radiation therapy and three patients had pleurectomy. All continued to have disease progression before enrollment. Transarterial chemoperfusion delivers a relatively high concentration of drugs to diseased tissue in the lining of the lungs to maximize the treatment effect with limited side effects.Login Or Register To Read Full Story