Can {blacktriangledown}pemetrexed help in malignant mesothelioma?

doi:10.1136/dtb.2006.441077

Drug and Therapeutics Bulletin 2006;44:77-80; doi:10.1136/dtb.2006.441077

Can ${blacktriangledown}$ pemetrexed help in malignant mesothelioma?

Relevant BNF section: 8.1.3

Mesothelioma is a cancer that originates in the pleura or, morerarely, the peritoneum, and is almost always due to exposureto asbestos fibres.¹ It is typically fatal, with a median survivalof about 8-14 months after diagnosis.¹ Conventional treatmentoptions have not improved this poor outlook. Also, the numberof deaths attributable to malignant mesothelioma has been risingrapidly in the UK since the late 1960s, and is set to peak atabout 1,950-2,450 per year between 2011 and 2015.² It is againstthis background that ${blacktriangledown}$ pemetrexed (pronounced pe-me-treks-ed)(Alimta - Lilly) has recently become available for use withcisplatin for the treatment of patients with unresectable malignantpleural mesothelioma who have not previously been treated withchemotherapy. Currently, this is the only chemotherapy regimenlicensed for patients with malignant pleural mesothelioma inthe UK. Here we review the care of patients with malignant pleuralmesothelioma, focusing on what, if anything, pemetrexed mightoffer such individuals.