| Abstract: |
Despite recent dramatic advances in many solid tumors, malignant mesothelioma remains challenging to treat. Historically, because of the modest number of cases globally and the substantial geographic distribution of patients, large randomized clinical trials were difficult and lengthy to complete, and thus, interest from pharmaceutical companies was limited. Additionally, financial support from various funding agencies is limited for this orphan disease. Consequently, most studies of systemic therapy for mesothelioma were small phase II trials. Despite these limitations, several standards of care were established. This chapter reviews standard cytotoxic chemotherapy treatment for malignant mesothelioma and discusses many novel agents recently and currently under investigation in clinical trials. The roles of surgery, radiation treatment, and combined modality therapy are covered in accompanying chapters. Furthermore, the ongoing development of immunotherapeutic agents is discussed in an accompanying chapter by Hassan and colleagues. |
