London breakthrough as new drug ‘quadrupled’ survival rates for mesothelioma

Researchers have created a drug to treat mesothelioma, an aggressive and deadly form of cancer linked to asbestos exposure.

Researchers have created a drug to treat mesothelioma, an aggressive and deadly form of cancer linked to asbestos exposure.

Researchers have created a drug to treat mesothelioma, an aggressive and deadly form of cancer linked to asbestos exposure.

The breakthrough is thought to be the biggest in treating mesothelioma in two decades.

Scientists led by a team at Queen Mary University of London said the new drug had “quadrupled” three-year survival rates and increased average survival by 1.6 months.

Mesothelioma has one of the worst survival rates. There were an estimated 761 deaths from mesothelioma in Australia in 2022 and there are 700 to 800 new cases diagnosed every year.

The trial involved patients from the UK, US, Australia, Italy and Taiwan.

Patients taking part in the trial received chemotherapy every three weeks for up to six cycles. Half the patients were also given injections of the new drug, ADI-PEG20 or pegargiminase, while the other half received a placebo.

Those who received pegargiminase and chemotherapy survived for an average of 9.3 months, compared with 7.7 months for those who had the placebo.

Researchers said pegargiminase cuts off the tumour’s food supply.

The Times