Lung Cancer Clinical Trials: Research Studies to Bring Better and Safer Treatments

Many lung cancer clinical trials are sponsored by government agencies, private pharmaceutical organizations and health care institutes worldwide. In USA, the specific agencies and institutes involved in clinical trial sponsorship are the Department of Defense (DOD), National Institute of Health (NIH), and Department of Veterans Affairs (VA). Today, some organizations are devoted to recruiting volunteer participants to these experimental studies. With enough info guide and explanation, patients are now more aware, knowledgeable and willing to participate in clinical trials.

These clinical trials are being researched to develop new treatments for Lung Cancer. The medical studies give access to cutting-edge treatments at no cost to the participants. There are more than 200 clinical trials being conducted including a Cancer, Three Stereotactic Body Radiation Therapy in Treating Patients With Stage I Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer and A Randomized Trial of Adjuvant Chemotherapy With or Without Bevacizumab for Patient's with Completely Resected Stage IB (>4 cm) - IIIA Non Small Lung Cancer.

Among the various revolutionary clinical trials being held, let us highlight the collaborative advanced stage tissue lung cancer (Castle) study at the Addario Lung Cancer Medical Institute at San Carlos, California. The objective is to conduct research and laboratory tests on cancer tissue and blood samples by cancer victims. After collection, these samples and clinical information will be stored at the ALCMI Biorepository and Data Repository.

Around 250 advanced stage lung cancer participants from the United States and some from Europe are targeted. They are those in Stage M1A and M1B Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer (NSCLC) and all stages of small cell lung cancer (SCLC). If you are qualified and accepted, you will be asked to provide your medical profile, tumor tissue and blood samples.

As a preliminary entry requirement, your study physician will submit your tissue to a testing laboratory. Once the test reports come in, the results are indicated in your health file records as a guide for your doctor to plan your care and treatment. When there are changes in your treatment, new blood samples and latest medical information will be requested from you and there will be communication between you and your doctor every three months for an update on your health status. Whatever research reports collected about you will not be imputed in your research records.

The other featured clinical trial is the Radiation Therapy in treating patients with extensive small cell lung cancer being held at Sparta, New Jersey. The primary objective of this research is to make a comparative 1-year overall median survival rate between patients with extensive stage small cell lung cancer who are treated with prophylactic cranial irradiation and those who are treated with platinum based chemotherapy but without a consolidative extracranial radiation therapy. Its secondary goals are to compare adverse effects of the treatments in the patients, evaluate patterns of failure, compare the time to first failure and evaluate the percentage of radiotherapy dosage.

To be eligible, you must be diagnosed within the past 6 months of extensive stage SCLC and must have 1-3 extracranial metastatic lesions. Another criterion is you must have completed 4-6 courses of platinum-based-chemotherapy within the past 8 weeks and have partial or complete response to chemotherapy. You must also have no progression and no limited stage SCLC even if the illness has progressed and no brain or CNS metastases.

Their criteria for other characteristics for females are not pregnant or nursing, negative pregnancy test and must use contraceptives during fertility stage. Participant must have no severe, active co-morbidity such as acute bacterial or fungal infection requiring lV antibiotics and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease exacerbation or other respiratory illness requiring hospitalization. You must also pass the required zubrod performance, ANC, platelets, hemoglobin, Serum ALT and AST, Serum Bilirubin and Serum Creatinine.

After your participation in these lung cancer clinical trials study is completed, you will be provided with appropriate follow-up care and assistance. To start with, you need to pass the prerequisite entry and once accepted, you will be a part of history in the making in advancing medical research for Lung Cancer for better and safer treatments in the future!

My name is Jet Jones and I research and write about alternative cancer cures. Please visit my site at http://lungcancer-stages.com/ to find information about lung cancer stages and treatments that can help you better understand this dreaded disease.

Conventional Treatments for Mesothelioma

Despite continuing research and studies related to mesothelioma, this cancer is still difficult to treat. This rare but aggressive disease attacks approximately 2,500 people in United States every year. The conventional treatments for mesothelioma are comprised of surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation therapy.

Surgery

Surgery may be used in both pleural and peritoneal mesothelioma patients. Surgeons usually prefer to provide a surgical procedure when the cancer is localized and debulking of the tumor is practical. Today, many mesothelioma specialists use heated chemotherapy in conjunction with surgery. During the actual procedure heated chemotherapy can be introduced into the surgical cavity to bathe any macro or micro metastasis that the surgeon was unable to excise. In this way, the cytotoxic effects of chemo can be imparted directly to the tissues where it is most needed.

There are different types of surgeries including lung sparring surgery and extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP). In lung sparring surgery, surgeons remove the diseased membrane lining the lung and any visible mesothelioma tumors, but spare the lung. Extrapleural pneumonectomy (EPP) is a more radical surgical procedure that involves removal of the diseased lung, part of the pericardium, (membrane covering the heart), part of the diaphragm (muscle between the lungs and the abdomen), and part of the parietal pleura (membrane lining the chest). EPP is an invasive and complex operation.

Chemotherapy

Chemotherapy, also referred to as systemic therapy, includes oral and intravenous cytotoxic (cell-killing) medications to kill the cancerous cells. These drugs kill both cancerous as well as healthy cells. Some of the most commonly used chemotherapy drugs to treat mesothelioma are cisplatin and pemetrexed. In fact cisplatin and pemetrexed (brand name Alimta) in combination is the only FDA approved chemotherapy for mesothelioma.

Radiation

Radiation may be an important part of mesothelioma treatment and it can be delivered through various methods. But if the cancer strikes near lungs and heart, it can be challenging for doctors to provide just the right dose for the intensive therapy required to reduce the tumor without creating associated morbidities. There is a newer option, IMRT or intensity-modulated radiotherapy that can target cancer cells more accurately and avoid the healthy cells. When performed by experienced clinicians, one may expect better results with fewer side-effects.

In addition to these modalities, there are many clinical trials today that focus on newer approaches to mesothelioma. These include various biological response modifiers such as anti-angiogenesis. Decades ago, Dr. Judah Folkman discovered that tumors need an expanding network of blood vessels in order to continue growing.

The blood vessels brought oxygen and nutrients to the cancer cells and without the blood vessels the tumor would be starved of what it needed to continue growing. Folkman hypothesized that cutting off the tumor's ability to create new blood supplies (angiogenesis) would be an effective and perhaps less toxic approach to cancer treatment.

Over the last decade, universities and biotech companies have been hard at work identifying, synthesizing and administering anti-angiogenesis drugs - drugs designed to stop the angiogenesis of new blood vessels. There has been some limited success in a number of cancers including mesothelioma. Anti-angiogenesis drugs used in mesothelioma include: bevacizumab, tyrosine-kinase inhibitors and other agents. Today, researchers are still attempting to make this modality effective in mesothelioma but have admitted that the clinical use of angiogenesis inhibitors has been more challenging than anticipated.

Disclaimer: The information in this article is for educational and informational purposes only. The content is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Always seek the advice of your physician or other qualified health provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition. Never disregard professional medical advice or delay in seeking it because of something you have read in this article

This article syndicated on behalf of and with the express permission of Surviving Mesothelioma. All Rights Reserved 2012.

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Tri Modal Asbestosis Treatments And Improved Mesothelioma Survival

Latest advances in the development of combined surgical, radiotherapy and palliative procedures used in the treatment of mesothelioma have helped to increase individual patient longevity by several months and even 1-2 years are not unknown in specific instances.

However, a complete cure for the deadly asbestosis cancer has yet to be fully realised. Survival rates from confirmed diagnosis tend to be around 4 to 12 months because, invariably, the disease is at an advanced stage and has spread to adjacent tissue cells or 'distant' organs.

A recent case involving a South American woman who was treated in Italy, and according to the Italian doctors "... shows a disease-free survival interval of 4 years for malignant pleural mesothelioma" and thus, is key evidence for an improved prognosis.

With a three year time limit from confirmed diagnosis for an asbestosis lawyer to make a mesothelioma claim on behalf of the patient, it could undoubtedly be of significance in future mesothelioma compensation cases and help towards providing a better quality of life for a surviving patient and their family.

Surgery, chemotherapy and radiation therapy are established 'tri-modal' asbestosis treatments used in fighting the fatal tumours that form in the linings of the lungs ( pleural mesothelioma) or within the membrane surrounding the heart (pericardial mesothelioma). Chemotherapy is used with the aim of reducing the mesothelioma, surgery to remove the diseased tissue, and radiotherapy to prevent a return of the cancer cells.

There is an exceptionally long gestation period of up to 40 or 50 years from an original exposure and breathing in of the asbestos fibres to the appearance of the first asbestosis symptoms or signs of mesothelioma. Often the victim is elderly or in poor health or has a history of smoking and survival rates are likely to be considerably reduced.

Previous research has confirmed that if the disease is diagnosed at an early stage or if the patient is younger, there is a higher probability of surviving mesothelioma for longer. In the present case, the woman was young and admitted to hospital with the usual, non-specific symptoms including, shortness of breath.

Prior to surgery, two cycles of chemotherapy were administered using the acknowledged treatment standard of pemetrexed and cisplatin. This was followed by an extrapleural pneumonectomy, a procedure to remove not only the cancerous membrane, but also adjacent membranes such as the nearest lung, and often the diaphragm. The patient also received external beam radiation to one side of the chest after a period of six months had elapsed.

Post operation monitoring by a combination of PET and CT scanning has yet to find any signs of a return of the disease some fours later.

With around 2,000 cases of mesothelioma still being diagnosed each year and over 4,000 asbestos disease related fatalities recorded in the UK, it is hoped that tri-modal procedures will help to improve future survival rates.

Asbestos Victim Advice
Expert advice and information on mesothelioma and asbestos related illnesses.
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