The basic use of Cisplatin is to promote apoptosis, or cell death. It is recommended to patients who are treated with Cisplatin to start taking a B12 supplement orally one week before treatment begins. Patients will likely receive weekly B12 shots throughout mesothelioma treatment in addition to taking a daily folic acid supplement, which will continue for 21 days after the last treatment cycle. An oral steroid may be prescribed to minimize side effects.
In unique cases, high doses of Cisplatin combined with doxorubicin have been effective in sending mesothelioma into partial remission. It should be noted that three other trials using more conventional doses of Cisplatin and doxorubicin produced positive response rates that are inversely correlated with the number of patients evaluated: 67 percent in 6 patients mesohtleioma 42 percent in 19 patients, and 25 percent in 24 patients. Such statistics indicate that results from a small series of patients should await confirmation from larger clinical trials.
Promising results have also been noted in the combination of Cisplatin and gemcitabine in Australia, with a partial response rate of 47.6 percent among 21 patients. Median survival was 41 weeks (about 10 months). Most of the responses were seen in mesothelioma patients diagnosed with the epithelioid subtype and symptom relief was correlated with response to treatment.
In a previous study, Dr. Sugarbaker and other researchers combined extrapleural pneumonectomy with radiation to the hemithorax and chemotherapy with Cisplatin, doxorubicin and cyclophosphamide in 120 patients. The overall survival was 45 percent at two years and 22 percent at five years.
Side effects that may be experienced by mesothelioma patients receiving the chemotherapy drug Cisplatin include:
- Fatigue
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Hair loss
- Diarrhea
- Hearing loss
- Kidney toxicity
- Changes in taste
No comments:
Post a Comment